Life Andreas the Historian (Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἱστορικός) is a figure of Late Antiquity (4th–6th century CE) known only from fragmentary references. No biographical details survive. The Byzantine scholar Photius (c. 810–893 CE) provides the sole testimony, noting in his Bibliotheca that he read a historical work by Andreas, which he criticized as "utterly worthless" and "a farrago of nonsense" [1][2].

Works His only known work is a History (Ἱστορία), now lost. Photius’s summary indicates it was a prose composition, but its precise scope or subject matter remains unspecified [1][2].

Significance Andreas exemplifies the many minor historians whose works survive only as notices in later compilations. His primary significance lies in his reception; Photius’s harsh judgment offers insight into 9th-century Byzantine scholarly standards and historiographical taste. Andreas represents those authors preserved chiefly as examples of what to avoid, underscoring the fragmentary nature of our knowledge of late antique historical writing [1][2].

Sources 1. Suda On Line (The Stoa Consortium): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/alpha/2197 2. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0625%3Achapter%3D161&highlight=andreas 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/ (No entry found for "Andreas the Historian" or "Andreas historian")