John Malalas of Antioch (Ἰωάννης ὁ Μαλάλας Ἀντιοχεύς) was a 6th-century CE Greek chronicler. His name likely derives from the Syriac for "rhetor," and he is identified as a grammatikos and possibly a high-ranking civil servant in Antioch [1][2]. He lived primarily in Antioch, possibly moving later to Constantinople, and his work shows knowledge of events into the 560s CE during the reign of Emperor Justinian I [1][2].

His only surviving work is the Chronographia (Χρονογραφία), an 18-book world chronicle from the Biblical creation to c. 563/4 CE [1][2][3].

The Chronographia is a foundational text for late antique historiography and popular culture. Written in vernacular Koine Greek, it preserves crucial local Antiochene traditions and provides a vital contemporary narrative for the reign of Justinian [1][3]. It was extremely influential, serving as a major source for later Byzantine chroniclers and being translated into Old Church Slavonic and Georgian [1][2].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3892 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Malalas 3. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/John_Malalas/