Malalas and erudite memory in sixth-century
Constantinople
Raf Praet
Abstract This paper places the Chronographia of John Malalas in the context of the histori-
ographical and erudite production of sixth-century Constantinople. In order to do this, this
paper addresses possible social connections between Malalas and two contemporary historians:
Cassiodorus and John the Lydian. Their common bureaucratic and erudite networks are not
their only resemblances. Their treatments of different aspects of the history of Rome and the
Roman Empire also exhibit striking parallels, as one case study, on the colour purple, shows. The
paper concludes with an assessment of this coincidence in textual resemblances and networks
between the three authors. Although the attractive hypothesis of an erudite school around the
university of Constantinople with John the Lydian as one of its professors remains in the realm
of speculation for want of conclusive evidence, the work of Malalas is clearly an exponent of a
continued common culture of Roman erudition in the sixth century.

Introduction
Sixth-century Constantinople was an exciting and bustling community. Its bureau-
cratic, educational and political networks had many similarities with the academic
world of today; many vented vociferous complaints on budget cuts in their own de-
partments; many tight-knit groups and cliques viciously competed for power, prestige
and funding; everybody knew each other, competed with or contested with each other
to some extent, and for an outsider it was difficult to see the scale and implications of
these acquaintances, collaborations and feuds. We, as historians of the sixth century, a
period far removed from us in time, space and mentality, share this view of the outsider.
Within, or better above, seemingly detached from these networks, hovers a resi-
dent of Constantinople: John Malalas (ca. AD 490 - ca. AD 570). In order to embed
the man and his work in the Constantinopolitan context of historiographical produc-
tion in which he and his chronicle functioned, I shall consider his work in relation to
contemporary examples of Roman erudition. This exercise requires first ascertaining
the possible relationships between John Malalas and two other historians who, to the
best of my knowledge, have until now not been considered as a group: John the Ly-
dian (ca. AD 490 - ca. AD 565) and Cassiodorus (ca. AD 485 - ca. AD 585). Second,
I shall emphasise the commonality of the textual themes and materials used by these
Constantinopolitan historians, focusing on a case study: the erudite treatment of the