A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890)
William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin, Ed.

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OLY´MPIAS

OLY´MPIAS (Ὀλυμπιάς), the most celebrated chronological era among the Greeks, was the period of four years which elapsed between any one and the next following celebration of the Olympic games. The Olympiads began to be reckoned from the victory of Coroebus in the foot-race, which happened in the year B.C. 776 (Paus. 5.8.3; 8.26.3; Strab. viii. p.355). Timaeus of Sicily, however, who flourished B.C. 264, was the first writer who regularly arranged events according to the conquerors in each Olympiad, with which he compared the years of the Attic archons, the Spartan ephors, and that of the Argive priestesses (Plb. 12.12.1). His practice of recording events by Olympiads was followed by Polybius, Diodorus Siculus, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and sometimes by Pausanias, Aelian, Diogenes Laërtius, Arrian, &c. It is twice adopted by Thucydides (3.8, 5.49) and Xenophon. (Hell. 1.2.1; 2.3.1). The names of the conquerors in the foot-race only were used to designate the Olympiad, not the conquerors in the other contests. Thucydides (ll. cc.), however, designates two Olympiads by the name of the conquerors in the Pancratium; but this appears only to have been done on account of the celebrity of these victors, both of whom conquered twice in the Pancratium. Other writers, however, adhere so strictly to the practice of designating the Olympiad only by the conqueror in the foot-race, that even when the same person had obtained the prize in other contests as well as in the foot-race, they only mention the latter. Thus Diodorus (11.70) and Pausanias (4.24.2) only record the conquest of Xenophon of Corinth in the footrace, although he had also conquered at the same festival in the Pentathlum.

The writers who make use of the eras of the Olympiads usually give the number of the Olympiad (the first corresponding to B.C. 776), and then the name of the conqueror in the footrace. Some writers also speak of events as happening in the first, second, third, or fourth year, as the case may be, of a certain Olympiad; but others do not give the separate years of each Olympiad.

We subjoin for the use of the student a list of the Olympiads with the years of the Christian era corresponding to them from the beginning of the Olympiads to A.D. 301. To save space the separate years of each Olympiad, with the corresponding years B.C., are only given from the 47th to the 126th Olympiad, as this is the most important period of Grecian history; in the other Olympiads the first year only is given. In consulting the following table it must be borne in mind that the Olympic games were celebrated about midsummer [OLYMPIA], and that the Attic year commenced at about the same time. If, therefore, an event happened in the second half of the Attic year, the year B.C. must be reduced by 1. Thus Socrates was put to death in the 1st year of the 95th Olympiad, which corresponds in the following table to B.C. 400; but as his death happened in Thargelion, the 11th month of the Attic year, the year B.C. must be reduced by 1, which gives us B.C. 399, the true date of his death.

B.C.	Ol.	B.C.	Ol.	B.C.	Ol.
776.	1.	1.	547.		2.	456.	81.	1.
772.	2.	1.	546.		3.	455.		2.
768.	3.	1.	545.		4.	454.		3.
764.	4.	1.	544.	59.	1.	453.		4.
760.	5.	1.	543.		2.	452.	82.	1.
756.	6.	1.	542.		3.	451.		2.
752.	7.	1.	541.		4.	450.		3.
748.	8.	1.	540.	60.	1.	449.		4.
744.	9.	1.	539.		2.	448.	83.	1.
740.	10.	1.	538.		3.	447.		2.
736.	11.	1.	537.		4.	446.		3.
732.	12.	1.	536.	61.	1.	445.		4.
728.	13.	1.	535.		2.	444.	84.	1.
724.	14.	1.	534.		3.	443.		2.
720.	15.	1.	533.		4.	442.		3.
716.	16.	1.	532.	62.	1.	441.		4.
712.	17.	1.	531.		2.	440.	85.	1.
708.	18.	1.	530.		3.	439.		2.
704.	19.	1.	529.		4.	438.		3.
700.	20.	1.	528.	63.	1.	437.		4.
696.	21.	1.	527.		2.	436.	86.	1.
692.	22.	1.	526.		3.	435.		2.
688.	23.	1.	525.		4.	434.		3.
684.	24.	1.	524.	64.	1.	433.		4.
680.	25.	1.	523.		2.	432.	87.	1.
676.	26.	1.	522.		3.	431.		2.
672.	27.	1.	521.		4.	430.		3.
668.	28.	1.	520.	65.	1.	429.		4.
664.	29.	1.	519.		2.	428.	88.	1.
660.	30.	1.	518.		3.	427.		2.
656.	31.	1.	517.		4.	426.		3.
652.	32.	1.	516.	66.	1.	425.		4.
648.	33.	1.	515.		2.	424.	89.	1.
644.	34.	1.	514.		3.	423.		2.
640.	35.	1.	513.		4.	422.		3.
636.	36.	1.	512.	67.	1.	421.		4.
632.	37.	1.	511.		2.	420.	90.	1.
628.	38.	1.	510.		3.	419.		2.
624.	39.	1.	509.		4.	418.		3.
620.	40.	1.	508.	68.	1.	417.		4.
616.	41.	1.	507.		2.	416.	91.	1.
612.	42.	1.	506.		3.	415.		2.
608.	43.	1.	505.		4.	414.		3.
604.	44.	1.	504.	69.	1.	413.		4.
600.	45.	1.	503.		2.	412.	92.	1.
596.	46.	1.	502.		3.	411.		2.
592.	47.	1.	501.		4.	410.		3.
591.		2.	500.	70.	1.	409.		4.
590.		3.	499.		2.	408.	93.	1.
589.		4.	498.		3.	407.		2.
588.	48.	1.	497.		4.	406.		3.
587.		2.	496.	71.	1.	405.		4.
586.		3.	495.		2.	404.	94.	1.
585.		4.	494.		3.	403.		2.
584.	49.	1.	493.		4.	402.		3.
583.		2.	492.	72.	1.	401.		4.
582.		3.	491.		2.	400.	95.	1.
581.		4.	490.		3.	399.		2.
580.	50.	1.	489.		4.	398.		3.
579.		2.	488.	73.	1.	397.		4.
578.		3.	487.		2.	396.	96.	1.
577.		4.	486.		3.	395.		2.
576.	51.	1.	485.		4.	394.		3.
575.		2.	484.	74.	1.	393.		4.
574.		3.	483.		2.	392.	97.	1.
573.		4.	482.		3.	391.		2.
572.	52.	1.	481.		4.	390.		3.
571.		2.	480.	75.	1.	389.		4.
570.		3.	479.		2.	388.	98.	1.
569.		4.	478.		3.	387.		2.
568.	53.	1.	477.		4.	386.		3.
567.		2.	476.	76.	1.	385.		4.
566.		3.	475.		2.	384.	99.	1.
565.		4.	474.		3.	383.		2.
564.	54.	1.	473.		4.	382.		3.
563.		2.	472.	77.	1.	381.		4.
562.		3.	471.		2.	380.	100.	1.
561.		4.	470.		3.	379.		2.
560.	55.	1.	469.		4.	378.		3.
559.		2.	468.	78.	1.	377.		4.
558.		3.	467.		2.	376.	101.	1.
557.		4.	466.		3.	375.		2.
556.	56.	1.	465.		4.	374.		3.
555.		2.	464.	79.	1.	373.		4.
554.		3.	463.		2.	372.	102.	1.
553.		4.	462.		3.	371.		2.
552.	57.	1.	461.		4.	370.		3.
551.		2.	460.	80.	1.	369.		4.
550.		3.	459.		2.	368.	103.	1.
549.		4.	458.		3.	367.		2.
548.	58.	1.	457.			366.		3.
365.		4.	285.		4.	4.	194.	1.
364.	104.	1.	284.	124.	1.
363.		2.	283.		2.
362.		3.	282.		3.	A.D..	Ol.
361.		4.	281.		4.	1.	195.	1.
360.	105.	1.	280.	125.	1.	5.	196.	1.
359.		2.	279.		2.	9.	197.	1.
358.		3.	278.		3.	13.	198.	1.
357.		4.	277.		4.	17.	199.	1.
356.	106.	1.	276.	126.	1.	21.	200.	1.
355.		2.	275.		2.	25.	201.	1.
354.		3.	274.		3.	29.	202.	1.
353.		4.	273.		4.	33.	203.	1.
352.	107.	1.	272.	127.	1.	37.	204.	1.
351.		2.	268.	128.	1.	41.	205.	1.
350.		3.	264.	129.	1.	45.	206.	1.
349.		4.	260.	130.	1.	49.	207.	1.
348.	108.	1.	256.	131.	1.	53.	208.	1.
347.		2.	252.	132.	1.	57.	209.	1.
346.		3.	248.	133.	1.	61.	210.	1.
345.		4.	244.	134.	1.	65.	211.	1.
344.	109.	1.	240.	135.	1.	69.	212.	1.
343.		2.	236.	136.	1.	73.	213.	1.
342.		3.	232.	137.	1.	77.	214.	1.
341.		4.	228.	138.	1.	81.	215.	1.
340.	110.	1.	224.	139.	1.	85.	216.	1.
339.		2.	220.	140.	1.	89.	217.	1.
338.		3.	216.	141.	1.	93.	218.	1.
337.		4.	212.	142.	1.	97.	219.	1.
336.	111.	1.	208.	143.	1.	101.	220.	1.
335.		2.	204.	144.	1.	105.	221.	1.
334.		3.	200.	145.	1.	109.	222.	1.
333.		4.	196.	146.	1.	113.	223.	1.
332.	112.	1.	192.	147.	1.	117.	224.	1.
331.		2.	188.	148.	1.	121.	225.	1.
330.		3.	184.	149.	1.	125.	226.	1.
329.		4.	180.	150.	1.	129.	227.	1.
328.	113.	1.	176.	151.	1.	133.	228.	1.
327.		2.	172.	152.	1.	137.	229.	1.
326.		3.	168.	153.	1.	141.	230.	1.
325.		4.	164.	154.	1.	145.	231.	1.
324.	114.	1.	160.	155.	1.	149.	232.	1.
323.		2.	156.	156.	1.	153.	233.	1.
322.		3.	152.	157.	1.	157.	234.	1.
321.		4.	148.	158.	1.	161.	235.	1.
320.	115.	1.	144.	159.	1.	165.	236.	1.
319.		2.	140.	160.	1.	169.	237.	1.
318.		3.	136.	161.	1.	173.	238.	1.
317.		4.	132.	162.	1.	177.	239.	1.
316.	116.	1.	128.	163.	1.	181.	240.	1.
315.		2.	124.	164.	1.	185.	241.	1.
314.		3.	120.	165.	1.	189.	242.	1.
313.		4.	116.	166.	1.	193.	243.	1.
312.	117.	1.	112.	167.	1.	197.	244.	1.
311.		2.	108.	168.	1.	201.	245.	1.
310.		3.	104.	169.	1.	205.	246.	1.
309.		4.	100.	170.	1.	209.	247.	1.
308.	118.	1.	96.	171.	1.	213.	248.	1.
307.		2.	92.	172.	1.	217.	249.	1.
306.		3.	88.	173.	1.	221.	250.	1.
305.		4.	84.	174.	1.	225.	251.	1.
304.	119.	1.	80.	175.	1.	229.	252.	1.
303.		2.	76.	176.	1.	233.	253.	1.
302.		3.	72.	177.	1.	237.	254.	1.
301.		4.	68.	178.	1.	241.	255.	1.
300.	120.	1.	64.	179.	1.	245.	256.	1.
299.		2.	60.	180.	1.	249.	257.	1.
298.		3.	56.	181.	1.	253.	258.	1.
297.		4.	52.	182.	1.	257.	259.	1.
296.	121.	1.	48.	183.	1.	261.	260.	1.
295.		2.	44.	184.	1.	265.	261.	1.
294.		3.	40.	185.	1.	269.	262.	1.
293.		4.	36.	186.	1.	273.	263.	1.
292.	122.	1.	32.	187.	1.	277.	264.	1.
291.		2.	28.	188.	1.	281.	265.	1.
290.		3.	24.	189.	1.	285.	266.	1.
289.		4.	20.	190.	1.	289.	267.	1.
288.	123.	1.	16.	191.	1.	293.	268.	1.
287.		2.	12.	192.	1.	297.	269.	1.
286.		3.	8.	193.	1.	301.	270.	1.

[p. 2.275]

Many of the ancient writers did not consider history to begin till the Olympiad of Coroebus, and regarded as fabulous the events said to have occurred in preceding times. (Censorinus, de Die Natal. 100.21; African. apud Euseb. Praep. 10.10, p. 487 d; Clinton, Fast. Hell. vol. ii. Introd. p. ii.)

The old Olympiad era appears only to have been used by writers, and especially by historians. It does not seem to have been ever adopted by any state in public documents. It is never found on any coins, and scarcely ever on inscriptions. There are only two inscriptions published by Boeckh in which it appears to be used (Corp. Inscr. n. 2682, 2999). A new Olympiad era, however, came into use under the Roman emperors, which is found in inscriptions and was used in public documents. This era begins in Ol. 227. 3 (A.D. 131), in which year Hadrian dedicated the Olympieion at Athens; and accordingly we find Ol. 227. 3 spoken of as the first Olympiad, Ol. 228. 3 (A.D. 135) as the second Olympiad, &c. (Boeckh, Corp. Inscr. n. 342, 446, 1345).

(Krause, Olympia, p. 60, &c.; Wurm, de Pond., &c., § 94, &c.)

[W.S]