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Roger Scott

tralian translation’s numeration, there is a reference to at least something connected
with hippodrome, faction colours or chariot-racing in seven of those sixteen chapters,15
and it is easy enough to think that what I am calling (rather loosely) “hippodrome
material” may be behind other events involving political turmoil, especially in the first
four sections. The significance of this material will be considered a little later.
2. Book XVI, Anastasius
So to Book XVI on Anastasius, which must certainly belong to Malalas’own lifetime,
a contemporary book that requires greater attention. Its second half is notable for a
collection of exotic stories, such as the invention of a precursor of Greek fire by the
philosopher Proclus of Athens, which led to the unexpected defeat of the rebel Vital-
ian; and then (at the very end of the book) the separate dreams of Anastasius and his
cubicularius Amantius, for which it is a Proclus again (this time as dream interpreter)
who foretells their deaths and the removal of fourteen years from Anastasius’ life. We
shall return later to these stories. But the key is the first half of the book. As with Book
XV, what is noticeable is the presence of hippodrome material in all except chapter i of
the opening seven chapters. Chapter 8 is a one-liner on buildings that we can ignore.
Then chapter 9 deals with the Persian siege of Amida. Here Malalas virtually tells us
that Eustathius ofEpiphania was his source and he also reports Eustathius’death with
his history incomplete:
περί ού πολέμου Ευστάθιος ό σοφότατος χρονογράφος συνεγράψατο·
οϋτος καί ευθέως έτελεύτησεν, μήτε εις τέλειον τήν έκθεσιν αύτοΰ
συντάξας.
The most learned chronicler Eustathius wrote about this battle; however, he died
shortly afterwards, before he was able to complete the writing of his narrative.16
The year is 503, which is also confirmed for us by Evagrius (as has been mentioned in
n. 11), twice as being the final year of Eustathius’ history and once as the year of his
death. We also need to remember that Eustathius was the final chronicle source that
Malalas acknowledged in his preface. So we have here solid evidence that Malalas
was using Eustathius and that Eustathius’ chronicle ended unfinished in 503. There
are, admittedly, several events just before this in XVI 6, that Malalas himself dates to
506-507 and so cannot have come from Eustathius, and Malalas really ought to have
placed chapter 6 after chapter 9 or even 10, after his account of the fortification of
Dara following the fall of Amida, to have events in the right chronological order. But
what is intriguing is that there is now a gap of some five years until Malalas’ next event
(in chapter 11) on some ecclesiastical matters belonging to 512. And indeed, apart from

15 Namely in chapters 5,7,8,12,13,15,16 (with the small gap at chapters 9-10 being on Theoderich).
16 Malalas, Chronographia XVI 9 (p. 326,45-47 Thurn); translation by Jeffreys/Jeffreys/Scott (1986), p. 224.