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Umberto Roberto

thalassocracy is thus included in an account of the events of the Persians’ conquest of
world hegemony:
Μετά δέ τό άπολέσθαι τήν βασιλείαν των Λυδών οί Σάμιοί
θαλασσοκρατήσαντες έβασίΛευσαν των μερών εκείνων, καί άκούσας
μετά χρόνους Κύρος ό βασιλεύς Περσών νικήσας Κροϊσον έπεστράτευσε
κατ’ αύτών, καί συμβαλών αύτοΐς ναυμαχία πολεμήσας ήττήθη καί
έφυγε, καί έλθών είς τήν χώραν αύτού έσφάγη· περί ού πολέμου Κύρου
καί τών Σαμίων ό σοφώτατος Πυθαγόρας ό Σάμιος συνεγράψατο· όστις
καί είπεν αύτόν Κύρον τεθνάναί είς τον πόλεμον, ταύτα δέ πάντα καί ό
σοφός Αφρικανός έχρονογράφησεν.
After the kingdom of the Lydians was destroyed, the people of Samos gained con-
trol of the sea and reigned over those parts. After a while, Cyrus, king of the Per-
sians, heard about this and upon defeating Croesus went to war against them. He
engaged with them, fought a battle with them at sea, but was defeated and fled;
upon reaching his own land he was murdered. The most learned Pythagoras of
Samos composed an account of the war between Cyrus and the people of Samos.
He was the one who also stated that Cyrus himself died in the conflict. Also the
learned Africanus has recorded the chronology of all these events.17
The development of the translatio imperii also includes the transfer of power in Egypt
from Alexander to Ptolemy and his descendants (Malalas, Chronographia VIII 6-8 -
lulius Africanus, Chronographiae F86 Wallraff/Roberto).18
Moving beyond the chronological limits of archaic Greek history, a further piece
of information that Malalas seems to take from Africanus concerns the staying of the
Apostle John at Ephesus:
"Εως δέ τού δευτέρου έτους τής βασιλείας αύτού ήν φαινόμενος καί
διδάσκων έν Έφέσω, έπίσκοπος καί πατριάρχης ών, ό άγιος Ιωάννης
ό άπόστολος καί θεολόγος· καί άφανή έαυτόν ποιήσας ούκέτι ώφθη
τινί καί ούδείς έγνω, τί έγένετο, έως τής νύν, καθώς Αφρικανός καί
Ειρηναίος οί σοφώτατοι χρονογράφοι συνεγράψαντο.
Until the second year of his (Trajan’s) reign, Saint John, the apostle and theologian,
was seen teaching in Ephesus, serving as bishop and patriarch. And after removing
himself from sight, he no longer appeared to anyone and up to this day no-one
knows what happened, just as Africanus and Irenaeus, the most learned chrono-
graphers, have written.19
The reference to Africanus as one of the sources relating to the Apostle John at Ephe-
sus is of great interest, but is also problematic, for at least two reasons. Firstly, Mala-
las follows Africanus in constructing his archaiologia, which concludes with the Tro-
17 Malalas, Chronographia VI12 = lulius Africanus, Chronographiae F74 Wallraff/Roberto.
18 See Gelzer (1880), pp. 272-274.
19 Malalas, Chronographia XI 2 (p. 204,7-11 Thurn) = lulius Africanus, Chronographiae F95 Wallraff/Roberto.