Life Thallus (Θαλλός ὁ ἱστορικός) was a Greek-language historian of the 1st century CE, likely writing during the reign of Tiberius. His precise origins are obscure; the 3rd-century writer Julius Africanus calls him a Samaritan, while the 2nd-century apologist Theophilus of Antioch refers to him as a historian of the Greeks [1][2].

Works His only known work is the Histories (or Chronography), a lost chronicle in at least three books. It spanned from the fall of Troy to events of the 1st century CE, attempting to synchronize Greek and Near Eastern traditions [1][2].

Significance Thallus is a significant early non-Christian source cited by Christian apologists. Julius Africanus references his attempt to explain the Gospel darkness at the crucifixion as a solar eclipse, which Africanus refutes [1][2]. This makes Thallus one of the earliest pagan authors mentioned in connection with the Gospels. His chronographic method was utilized by later Christian historians like Eusebius to situate biblical history within a universal framework [1].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thallus 2. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Thallus/