Chapter III: Theoretical Chronology

Transition to early history 53

The Asiatic colonies 53

Late authorities for the details 54

The colonization of the West 54

The original authority 55

What was nobility in early Greece? 55

Macedonian kings 56

Romans 56

Hellenistic cities 56

Glory of short pedigrees 56

The sceptics credulous in chronology 57

The current scheme of early dates 57

The so-called Olympic register 58

Plutarch's account of it 58

The date of Pheidon of Argos 59
revised by E. Curtius 60
since abandoned 60

The authority of Ephorus 61
not first-rate 62

Archias, the founder of Syracuse 62
associated with legends of Corcyra and Croton 63

Thucydides counts downward from this imaginary date 64

Antiochus of Syracuse 64
not trustworthy 65
his dates illusory 66
though supported by Thucydides 66
who is not omniscient 66

Credulity in every sceptic 67

Its probable occurrence in ancient critics 68

Value of Hippias' work 68

Even Eratosthenes counts _downward_ 69

Clinton's warning 69

Summary of the discussion 69

The stage of pre-Homeric remains 70

Prototype of the Greek temple 70

Degrees in this stage 71

Probably not so old as is often supposed 72

Mr. Petrie's evidence 72

The epic stage 72

The earliest historical stage 73

The gap between Homer and Archilochus 73

Old lists suspicious, and often fabricated 74

No chronology of the eighth century B.C. to be trusted 75

Cases of real antiquity 76