Nikephoros
Banned
Are you sure about that? Didn't the Byzantine emperors themselves at one point (Heraclius?) stop claiming Pericles, Alexander and Augustus as their ancestors and acknowledged only later figures like Constantine and Justinian?
The rulers definately considered themselves to be successors to Augustus.
They never considered themselves to be descendents of Pericles and Alexander (Although some rulers thought they were Alexander reincarnated)