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; the statement that he was imperial procurator and legate of the Sicilian provinces rests upon conjecture only. His historical work (`Hpw&cwvov -riffs jz€Ta MapKov j3aacAtlas iaropuiv (3i13Xca 6KTW) deals with the years between the death of Marcus Aurelius and the proclamation of Gordianus III. (18o-238) . His work supple ments Dion Cassius and has the value that attaches to a con temporary record written with 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 Pertinax —the barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, the exten sion 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.
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. Mendels sohn (1883) and K. Stavenhagen (Teubner, 1922).