Melisseus the Historian (Μελισσεὺς ὁ ἱστορικός) was an obscure Greek historian of the 4th century BCE. No biographical details of his life survive. His existence is attested solely through later authors who quote his lost work.

His only known work is a historical text whose title is not preserved. It survives in a few fragments suggesting it contained geographical or ethnographical material. One fragment, preserved by the grammarian Herodian, cites Melisseus on the name of the island of Cephallenia [1]. Another, in Stephanus of Byzantium, mentions the city of Same on Cephallenia, though the attribution is not certain [1].

His significance lies in being a representative minor source used by later lexicographers for specialized local information. These citations preserve his name within the stream of Greek geographical writing, though the loss of his work prevents any assessment of his methodology or broader influence.

Sources 1. ToposText: https://topostext.org/people/1221 (This entry lists Melisseus the Historian and provides the two fragmentary references from Herodian and Stephanus of Byzantium.)