The Canon of Kings was a dated list of kings used by ancient astronomers as a convenient means to date astronomical phenomena, such as

eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

s. The Canon was preserved by the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, and is thus known sometimes as Ptolemy's Canon. It is one of the most important bases for our knowledge of ancient chronology. The Canon derives originally from

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

ian sources. Thus, it lists Kings of Babylon from 747 BC until the conquest of Babylon by Achaemenid Persians in 539 BC, and then Persian kings from 538 to 332 BC. At this point, the Canon was continued by Greek astronomers in Alexandria, and lists the Macedonian kings from 331 to 305 BC, the

Ptolemies The Ptolemaic dynasty (; grc, Πτολεμαῖοι, ''Ptolemaioi''), sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, ''Lagidae;'' after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic K ...

from 304 BC to 30 BC, and the Roman and Byzantine Emperors, although they are not kings; in some manuscripts the list is continued down to the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

in 1453.E.J. Bickerman, ''Chronology of the Ancient World'' (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1968), pp. 81f The Canon only increments by whole years, specifically the ancient Egyptian year of 365 days. This has two consequences. The first is that the dates for when monarchs began and ended their reigns are simplified to the beginning and the ending of the ancient Egyptian year, which moves one day every four years against the Julian calendar.Bickerman, ''Chronology of the Ancient World'', p. 107 The second is that this list of monarchs is oversimplified. Monarchs who reigned for less than one year are not listed, and only one monarch is listed in any year with multiple monarchs. Usually, the overlapping year is assigned to the monarch who died in that year, but not always. Note that the two periods in the Babylonian section where no king is listed the first represents two pretenders whose legitimacy the compiler did not recognize, and the second extends from the year Babylon was sacked by Sennacherib, King of Assyria to the restoration of Esarhaddon.Leo Depuydt, "More Valuable than All Gold": Ptolemy's Royal Canon and Babylonian Chronology, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 47, pp. 97-117, 1995 The Canon is generally considered by historians to be accurate, and forms part of the backbone of the commonly accepted chronology from 747 BC forward that all other datings are synchronized to. It is not, however, the ''ultimate source'' for this chronology; most of the names and lengths of reigns can be independently verified from archaeological material (coinage, annals, inscriptions in stone etc.) and extant works of history from the historical ages concerned.

Babylonian Kings, 747–539 BC

* Nabonassar (''Nabonassáros''): 747–734 BC * Nabu-nadin-zeri (''Nadíos''): 733–732 BC * Nabu-mukin-zeri (''Khinzêr'') and Pulu (''Póros''): 731–727 BC * Ululas (''Iloulaíos''): 726–722 BC * Marduk-apla-iddina II (''Mardokempádos''): 721–710 BC *

Sargon II Sargon II (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is general ...

(''Arkeanós''): 709–705 BC *no kings: 704–703 BC * Bel-ibni (''Bilíbos''): 702–700 BC * Ashur-nadin-shumi (''Aparanadíos''): 699–694 BC * Nergal-ushezib (''Rhegebélos''): 693 BC * Mushezib-Marduk (''Mesêsimordákos''): 692–689 BC *no kings: 688–681 BC * Esarhaddon (''Asaradínos''): 680–668 BC * Shamash-shum-ukin (''Saosdoukhínos''): 667–648 BC * Kandalanu (''Kinêladános''): 647–626 BC *

Nabopolassar Nabopolassar (Babylonian cuneiform: , meaning "Nabu, protect the son") was the founder and first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from his coronation as king of Babylon in 626 BC to his death in 605 BC. Though initially only aimed at res ...

(''Nabopolassáros''): 625–605 BC * Nebuchadrezzar II (''Nabokolassáros''): 604–562 BC * Amel-Marduk (''Illoaroudámos''): 561–560 BC * Neriglissar (''Nêrigasolassáros''): 559–556 BC *

Nabonidus Nabonidus (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-naʾid'', meaning "May Nabu be exalted" or "Nabu is praised") was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 556 BC to the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great in 539 ...

(''Nabonadíos''): 555–539 BC

Persian Kings, 538–332 BC

* Cyrus: 538–530 BC * Cambyses: 529–522 BC *

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

: 521–486 BC * Xerxes I: 485–465 BC *

Artaxerxes I Artaxerxes I (, peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης) was the fifth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, from 465 to December 424 BC. He was the third son of Xerxes I. He may have been the " Artasy ...

: 464–424 BC *

Darius II Darius II ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC. Artaxerxes I, who died in 424 BC, was followed by h ...

: 423–405 BC * Artaxerxes II: 404–359 BC * Artaxerxes III (''Ochus''): 358–338 BC *

Arses Arses ( peo, *R̥šā; grc-gre, Ἀρσής), also known by his regnal name Artaxerxes IV (; peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης), was the twelfth Achaemenid King of Kings from 338 to 336 BC. Arses ascended ...

(''Arogus''): 337–336 BC *

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

: 335–332 BC

Macedonian Kings, 331–305 BC

* Alexander the Great: 331–324 BC * Philip III: 323–317 BC * Alexander IV: 316–305 BC

Ptolemies of Egypt, 304–30 BC

* Ptolemy I Soter (''Ptolemy, son of Lagus''): 304–285 BC *

Ptolemy II Philadelphus ; egy, Userkanaenre Meryamun Clayton (2006) p. 208 , predecessor = Ptolemy I , successor = Ptolemy III , horus = ''ḥwnw-ḳni'Khunuqeni''The brave youth , nebty = ''wr-pḥtj'Urpekhti''Great of strength , gol ...

: 284–247 BC * Ptolemy III Euergetes: 246–222 BC * Ptolemy IV Philopator: 221–205 BC *

Ptolemy V Epiphanes egy, Iwaennetjerwymerwyitu Seteppah Userkare Sekhem-ankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy IV , successor = Ptolemy VI , horus = '' ḥwnw-ḫꜤj-m-nsw-ḥr-st-jt.f'Khunukhaiemnisutkhersetitef'' The youth who ...

: 204–181 BC * Ptolemy VI Philometor: 180–146 BC * Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II: 145–117 BC *

Ptolemy IX Soter II Ptolemy IX Soter II Ptolemy IX also took the same title 'Soter' as Ptolemy I. In older references and in more recent references by the German historian Huss, Ptolemy IX may be numbered VIII. ( el, Πτολεμαῖος Σωτ� ...

: 116–81 BC * Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysus: 80–52 BC * Cleopatra Thea Philopator: 51–30 BC

Roman Emperors, 29 BC–160 AD

* Augustus: 29 BC–14 AD * Tiberius: 15–36 * Gaius: 37–40 *

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

: 41–54 * Nero: 55–68 * Vespasian: 69–78 * Titus: 79–81 * Domitian: 82–96 *

Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...

: 97 * Trajan: 98–116 *

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

: 117–137 * Aelius Antoninus: 138–160

Notes and sources

;Notes ;References ;Sources * Reprint of the Canon in At the Internet Archive.

External links

Explanation of Ptolemy's Canon
{{Chronology Ptolemy King lists Astronomy timelines