Abstract

The Table of Kings is a continuous list of rulers and the lengths of their reigns, which allowed Ptolemy (2nd century AD) and other Alexandrian astronomers to track the years that had passed since the reign of Babylonian king Nabonassar (8th century BC). Historian Anthony Grafton described it as "perhaps the most important single document for establishing the chronology of ancient history." As early as the 17th century, Sethus Calvisius, after obtaining a copy from a Greek manuscript in Leipzig, wrote: "This table is more valuable than all the gold, and had it been known earlier, the science of chronology would have been much better." Rediscovered in Western Europe during the modern era, the Table of Kings remains a vital source for constructing the chronology of the Ancient Near East, though it continues to be misunderstood in terms of its nature and history. Tracing the history of this document reveals the transformation of a tool originally designed for astronomy into a key resource for historians and chronologists, as early as Late Antiquity.