The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended / To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

15784

Title

The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended / To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Sir Isaac Newton presents a groundbreaking revision of ancient chronology, challenging traditional Greek and Roman timelines by exposing the artificial inflation of reign lengths. Blending astronomy, history, and moral philosophy, this work dismantles poetic fictions to reveal a more accurate history of early civilizations, from the first memories of Europe to Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended,' Sir Isaac Newton presents a rigorous re-examination of ancient history, challenging the traditional timelines established by Greek and Roman historians. Newton argues that these chronologies were fundamentally distorted by the practice of equating royal reigns with human generations. Early historians, influenced by poets and genealogists, artificially extended the length of reigns to approximately thirty-five or forty years per king, rather than adhering to the natural average of eighteen to twenty years. By applying astronomical data and logical reasoning, Newton recalibrates the timelines of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media, and Persia, significantly pushing back the dates of ancient events to align with natural laws. The work includes a 'Short Chronicle' tracing European history from its earliest memories to the Persian Empire, correcting the mixture of fable and fact that plagued earlier accounts. Newton critiques the reliance on genealogies and Olympic victor lists, which led to errors of several centuries. He demonstrates that Greek antiquities were full of poetical fictions because the Greeks wrote nothing in prose before the conquest of Asia by Cyrus the Persian. Consequently, chronologers like Timaeus and Eratosthenes made ancient events three or four hundred years older than the truth by treating reigns as generations. Newton further explores the Temple of Solomon, using architectural evidence to date its construction more accurately than previous scholars. Throughout the text, he interweaves his scientific precision with moral reflections on virtue, humanity, and the dangers of idolatry and persecution. He emphasizes that an abhorrence of idolatry was a constant rule of the Divine Legislator and the primitive religion of both Jews and Christians. The work stands as a testament to Newton's belief that truth, supported by evidence and reason, can dispel the mists of error that have darkened antiquity for millennia, offering a clearer view of the dawnings of arts and sciences under the patronage of Queen Anne.

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4.2/5

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Categories

• Religion
• History