Hermias of Methymna (Ἑρμείας ὁ Μηθυμναῖος) was a 4th-century BCE Greek historian from Methymna on Lesbos. He is known solely through fragments and the summary of his work by the Byzantine scholar Photius. Hermias wrote a history of Sicily (Sikelika), indicating an interest in the western Greek world during the era following the Peloponnesian War [1].

His only known work is the Sikelika or Sicilian History, a lost prose account written in the Aeolic dialect. Photius recorded that it comprised at least five books [1][2].

Hermias is a minor figure, significant as an example of a local historian writing about a region beyond his own. His use of the Aeolic dialect for historical prose is notable, as most such works were in Ionic or Attic. His fragments were preserved primarily by later grammarians and lexicographers, who valued them for their distinctive Aeolic vocabulary rather than their historical narrative [1][2].

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library, Catalog of the Greek Historians: Hermias of Methymna: http://catalog.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cite:perseus:author.364 2. ToposText, Author Overview: Hermias of Methymna: https://topostext.org/people/364