Marmor Parium

The Marmor Parium (TM 775658 ) is a large stela in marble of which two fragments have been preserved. The first one used to be the property of the Earl of Arundel and part of the so-called Arundel Marbles. It was donated to Oxford University in 1667 and ended up in the Ashmolean Museum, but its beginning went missing and is now only known through a 1628 transcription. Another fragment was later discovered on the isle of Paros and is now in the museum there.
The text contains a description of Greek history from 1581 to 298 BC. It mainly focuses on Athens, but also provides dates for events such as the Trojan War (1217-1208). Events are listed with the name of the ruler or Athens eponymous official and the number of years that have elapsed since 264/263 BC, when the text was written.
In the 18th century, a Joseph Robertson tried to convince the world that the slabs were fake, but ultimately he failed.

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