HERODIA'NUS, a Greek author, who wrote a history, in eight books, of the Roman emperors who reigned successively in his life time, beginning with the death of Marcus Aurelius, A.D. 150, end ending with the accession of the younger Gordianus, in 238. This history comprehends a period of little more thau half a century, but it is a most eventful one in the history of the empire, on account of the numerous and violent changes in the persons who held the sovereign power, and also with respect to the domestic and foreign wars, the depravity of manners, and the public calamities which characterised that age. The series of emperors which the history of Herodianus embraces comprises Commodus, Pertivax, Julianus, Niger and Albinus, Sevcrus, Caracalla and Gets', Macrinns, Elagabalus, Alexander Severus, Maximius, the two Gerdiani, and Balbinus. The style of Herodianus is plain and unaffected, and his narrative iu general seems written in a spirit of sincerity, but it has uo claims to philosophy or critical art. (F. A. Wolf, ' Narratio de Herodiano et
Libre ejus,' prefixed to his edition of Herodianus, Halle, 1792.) Of the private history of Iferiodianus we know nothing, except that he seems to have lived at Rome, and to have been well acquainted not only with the political events, but also with the court intrigues and scaudal of his time. He is the last of the Greek historians of antiquity who lived before the partition of the Roman empire. Among the editions of his history that of Irmisch, in 5 vole. 8ro, Leipzig, 1759 1805, in Creek aud Latin, contains numerous notes, chronological and genealogical tables, aud several copious indexes. The last edition and the best text is by Bekker, Berlin, 1826, Svo. There are several German translations of Herodias].