HERODIANUS  ,

Greek historian, flourished during the third century A.D . He is supposed to have been a Syrian Greek . In 203 he was in Rome, where he held some minor posts . He does not appear to have attained high official rank; the statement that he was imperial procurator and legate of the Sicilian provinces rests upon conjecture only . His historical work ('Hpw&avoi rijs µEra Maprcov fiaacXetas taropuov ig3XIa &Krub) narrates the events of the fifty-eight years between the death of Marcus Aurelius and the proclamation of Gordianus III . (180-238) . The narrative is of special value as supplementing Dion Cassius, whose history ends with Alexander Severus . His work has the value that attaches to a record written by one chronicling the events of his own times, gifted with ordinary powers of observation, indubitable candour and independence of view . But while he gives a lively account of external events—such as the death of Commodus and the assassination of Pertinaxthe barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, the extension of the franchise by Caracalla are unnoticed . The dates are often wrong, and little attention is paid to geographical details, which makes the narrative of military expeditions beyond the borders of the empire difficult to understand . Herodian has been accused of prejudice against Alexander Severus . His style, modelled on that of Thucydides and unreservedly praised by Photius, is on the whole pure, though somewhat rhetorical and showing a fondness for Latinisms .

Extensive use has been made of Herodianus by later chroniclers, especially the " Scriptores historiae Augustae " and

John of Antioch . His history was first translated into Latin at the end of the 15th century by Politian . The most complete edition is by G . W . Irmisch (1789-1805), with elaborate indices, but the notes are very diffuse; critical editions by I . Bekker (1855), L . Mendelssohn (1883) ; see also C . Dandliker .