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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2009
It has usually been assumed that the Actian Games at Nicopolis were founded in 28 B.C. (cf. Reisch, P.-W. 1. i, s.v. ‘Aktia’). In Mélanges d'Arch. et d'Hist., 1936, pp. 94 ff., J. Gagé argues also for 28 B.C., his principal grounds being as follows: ‘Comme Auguste leur conféra en même temps le rang isolympique et que le calcul du temps par Actiades fut admis çá et lá á remplacer celui des Olympiades, il est logique de penser que ces deux computs coïncidaient. Or, la première célébration olympique après Actium est celle de l'an 28 av. J-C.; c'est done presque sûrement en 28 que commence en fait la première Actiade.’
page 124 note 1 e.g. the battle of Alexandria on 1 Aug., the official announcement of Actium probably on 23 Sept., Augustus' birthday, the dedication of the temple of Apollo Palatinus on 9 Oct. (Gagé, I.c., pp. 58 ff., 61, n. 4).
page 124 note 2 It has been made, and Otto (I.c.) is disposed to accept it, but only to give additional support to an opinion formed on other grounds that Herod's games were probably established in 28 B.C. It should be noted that Otto assumes as proven that the Actia were founded in 28 B.C. and that, when Gagé quotes Otto (I.c. p. 94, n. 1), he is begging his own question, as well as taking for granted the coincidence of the Nicopolitan cycle with that of the games at Jerusalem. In any case, all that can really be gleaned from Josephus about the date of Herod's games is that they happened after the death of Costobar (Ant. Jud. 15. 259–66), 28–27 B.C., and before the rebuilding of Samaria, in or after 27, assuming that Josephs' account is chronological. The phrase μετ⋯ τ⋯ν πρὡτην ⋯κτι⋯δα itself is too vague to allow of any profitable reckoning back from the events to which it refers.
