When was Herodian born and when did he die?
Herodian lived between the years 170 and 240. He likely finished writing his history in 244 at the earliest, which would make him about 70 years old if he completed it around 240.
Questions about Herodian
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where was Herodian from originally?
The origin of Herodian remains one of the great mysteries of classical scholarship with no certain answer. Most scholars now accept that he came from western Asia Minor based on frequent mentions of cities there and a lack of factual errors regarding those regions.
What is the title of Herodian's historical work?
Herodian wrote a history in Greek titled History of the Empire from Marcus onwards. This Roman History spans eight books covering the years 180 to 238.
Who reviewed Herodian's work first and what did they say?
Photios I of Constantinople gave an outline of contents in Codex 99 as the first person on record to review Herodian. Photios described the style as clear, vigorous, agreeable, and preserving a happy medium between disregard of art and elegance.
Why do some historians doubt Herodian's accuracy?
Herodian confuses two Parthian kings and gets the geography of the Parthian campaign in 197 through 198 deeply flawed. He also claims Issus was where the final battle and capture of Darius III took place despite these flaws being explained by his lack of knowledge of small parts of the empire.