John Malalas: from computation to narration

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of a narrative account required a specific method, and was in any case the result of a
directional reading.
Yet it is indeed this directional reading, this interpretation of a complex layout,
which, to me, structures Malalas’ Chronicle for the given period, should this inter-
pretation be his own or found in his primary source. What I mean here is that the
Alexandrine version of Eusebius’ Chronicle available to Malalas may itself have been
arranged in tables (probably completed on certain points, shortened on others, neces-
sarily reinterpreted in their layout) or have already adopted a narrative form.5
1.2 Malalas readings of Eusebius'
Chronicle in Books VI and VII of Chronography
The first reinterpretation of Eusebius’ Canones to be found in Malalas’ Chronicle lies in
the division of the continuum of universal history in sequences distributed along the
books. The sequencing is generally chronological, but the books carry titles sugges-
ting a thematic reading, linked to the reigns. It is true that these titles are not always
representative of the content and, besides, thematic logic sometimes supplants chro-
nological logic in the organization of the narration. Let us take Books VI and VII,
for instance.6 Under the title of “About the Foundation of Rome”, Book VII actually
covers a much longer period stretching from Romulus’ reign to Alexander’s advent,
which represents more than four centuries. It comes after Book VI, entitled “The
Time of the Royalty of the Assyrians and Ascanius, son of Aeneas”. This time, the
double title refers to two distinct parts: the first (up to Chapter 17) indeed follows the
thread of the “Assyrian reigns” (which, actually, soon become the Persian reigns), from
Nebuchadnezzar to Artaxerxes Macrocheir’s successors until “Darius the Young”, that
is until the end of the 5th century. In Chapter 16, a flashback allows for a recapitulation
of the Macedonian reigns from Cranaus (Caranus in Eusebius) to Philip, and for the
inclusion within that thread of a list offloruit of Greek authors. In Chapter 18, a new
leap takes us back to the beginning of the “Latin reigns”, which closes at the end of the
book with the reigns of Aeneas’ descendants. The beginning of Book VII thus accor-
dingly proceeds with the foundation of Rome and follows the “Roman reigns” up to
Tarquinius’fall (in Chapter 9). Until that point, the organization of Malalas’ Chronicle
seems built on a “column-based” reading of Eusebius’ Canones. The narration follows
the story of an “empire” from its origin or from any landmark to its fall or another
landmark, then proceeds to the story of another empire, during a quite similar period.
Notices scattered along the Canones, which cannot be linked directly to the history
of one of these empires are, upon a change in guiding principle, amalgamated into a
paragraph, and presented as contemporary with the period, rather loosely defined. But
between Tarquinius’ fall and Alexander’s advent, no royalty was considered worthy of
being followed. Therefore begins the “time of the consuls” in Rome, as indicated in the
5 Cf. Croke, “The early development”, pp. 32-33; 36.
6 Cf. Appendix 1.