John the Lydian (Ἰωάννης ὁ Λυδός) John the Lydian (c. 490–c. 560s CE) was a Byzantine administrator and antiquarian writer from Lydia. He served for nearly four decades in the praetorian prefect’s office in Constantinople, witnessing major events like the Nika Riots and the plague of 542 [1][2]. After retiring around 551/552 CE, he devoted himself to scholarship, producing works that blend personal experience with antiquarian research, often expressing a nostalgic view of the Roman past [1][2].

Works His three major works, all in Greek prose, are: On the Magistracies of the Roman State (Περὶ ἀρχῶν τῆς Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας), a partially extant memoir and history of the bureaucracy; On the Months (Περὶ τῶν μηνῶν), an antiquarian study of the Roman calendar and festivals; and On Portents (Περὶ Διοσημειῶν), a treatise on divination based on earlier sources [1][2].

Significance John is a crucial source for the administrative and intellectual history of the 6th-century Eastern Roman Empire. His writings provide unique insider perspectives on the civil service, court life, and the preservation of classical knowledge, marked by a conservative attachment to Roman tradition [1][2].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: John the Lydian: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3510 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: John Lydus: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Lydus