Herodianus, Aelius
Αἴλιος Ἡρωδιανός
(Αἴλιος Ἡρωδιανός), one of the most celebrated grammarians of antiquity. He was the son of Apollonius Dyscolus [APOLLONIUS], and was born at Alexandria. From that place he appears to have removed to Rome, where he gained the favour of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, to whom he dedicated his work on prosody. No further biographical particulars are known respecting him.
Works
The estimation in which he was held by subsequent grammarians was very great. Priscian styles him maximus auctor artis grammaticae. He was a very voluminous writer; but to give any thing like a correct list of his works (of which we possess only a few fragmentary portions) is very difficult; as in numerous instances it is impossible to determine whether the titles given by writers who quoted or epitomised his works were the titles of distinct treatises, or only of portions of some of his larger works. The following appear to have been distinct works :--
1. Περὶ Ὀρθογραφίας
Περὶ Ὀρθολραφίας, in three books, treating of ποσότης, ποιότης, and σύνταξις.
2. Περὶ Συντάξεως Στοιχείων
Περὶ Συντάξεως Στοιχείων.
3. Περὶ Παθῶν
Περὶ Παθῶν, on the changes undergone by syllables and letters.
4. Συμπόδιον
Συμπόδιον, written during a residence at Puteoli.
5. Περὶ Γάμου καὶ Συμβιώσεως
Περὶ Γάμου καὶ Συμβιώσεως.
6. Προτάσεις
Προτάσεις, of which we know something through the Λίσεις Προτάσεων τῶν Ἡρωδιανοῖ, written by the grammarian Orus.
7. Ὀνοματικά
Ὀνοματικά. All the above works have entirely perished. The passages where they are quoted, with the names of some other treatises of less note, will be found in Fabricius (Bibl. Graec. vol. vi. p. 282, &c.).
8. Ἐπιμερισμοί
Ἐπιμερισμοί. This work was devoted to the explanation of difficult, obscure, and doubtful words, and of peculiar forms found in Homer.
Editions
A meagre compilation from this highly valuable work was published from Parisian MSS. by J. F. Boissonade, London, 1819.
Another abstract, which appears to give a better idea of the original work, is the Ἐπιμερισμοί, published in Cramer's Anecdota Gr. Oxon. vol. i.
Several important quotations from this work are also found scattered in different parts of the scholia on Homer. The Σχηματισμοὶ Ὁμηρικοί, appended by Sturz to his edition of the Etymologicum Gudianum, appears also to belong to the Ἐπιμερισμοί of Herodianus. An Ὁμηρική Προσῳδία, of which we find mention, may also have been a portion of it; but, like the Ἀττικὴ Προσῳδία, and Ἀνόμαλος Προσῳδία (neither of which is extant), more probably belonged to the great work on prosody.
9. Ἡ καθʼ Ὅλου
Ἡ καθʼ Ὅλου, or Καθολικὴ Προσῳδία (called also Μεγάλη Προσῳδία), in twenty books. This work also was held in great repute by the successors of Herodianus. It seems to have embraced not merely prosody, but most of those subjects now included in the etymological portion of grammar. An abstract of it was made by the grammarian Aristodemus, which, like the original work has perished. Another epitome is extant in a MS. in the Bodleian library (Cod. Barocc. clxxix.), and an index of the subjects of the different books in Cod. Matrit. xxxvii. The treatise Περὶ Τόνων, published under the name of Arcadius, but which was compiled by a later grammarian, Theodosius of Byzantium, seems also to be an extract from the Προσῳδία of Herodianus.
10. Περὶ Μονήρους Λέξεως
Περὶ Μονήρους Λέξεως, on monosyllabic words.
Editions
Published by Dindorf. (Grammat. Graec. vol. i.) This is probably the only complete treatise of Herodianus that we possess.
11. Περὶ Διχρόνων
Editions
Περὶ Διχρόνων, portions of which are extant in Bekker (Anecd. p. 1438), and Cramer (Anecd. Oxon. iii. p. 282, &c.).
Other works
The names of a few other treatises are enumerated by Fabricius, but it is very likely that many of them were merely portions of greater works. The following fragments (either of distinct treatises or of different portions of his larger works) have also been preserved:
1. Περὶ τῶν ἀριθμῶν
Περὶ τῶν ἀριθμῶν.
Editions
In Gaza's Introd. Gramm. Venice, 1495, and in the glossaries attached to the Thesaurus of Stephanus.
2. Παρεκβολαὶ μεγάλου Ῥήματος.
Παρεκβολαὶ μεγάλου Ῥήματος.
3. Παραλωλαὶ δυσκλίτων Ῥημάτων
Παραλωλαὶ δυσκλίτων Ῥημάτων.
4. Περὶ Ἐλκλινομένων καὶ Ἐγκλιτικᾶν καὶ Συνεγκλιτικῶν Μορίων
Περὶ Ἐλκλινομένων καὶ Ἐγκλιτικᾶν καὶ Συνεγκλιτικῶν Μορίων.
Editions
These three are preserved in the Thesaurus Cornucop. et Horti Adon. Venice, 1496, and the last of them in Bekker's Anecdota, iii. p. 1142.
5. Ζητούμενα κατὰ Κλίσιν παντὸς τῶν τοῦ Λόγου Μερῶν
Ζητούμενα κατὰ Κλίσιν παντὸς τῶν τοῦ Λόγου Μερῶν (in Cramer's Anecdota Oxon. iii. p. 246, &c.). 6. Περὶ Παραγωγῶν Γενικῶν ἀπὸ Διαλεκτῶν, and Περὶ Κλίσεως Ὀνομάτων
Editions
in Cramer's An. Oaon. iii. p. 228, &c..
7. Two fragments, Περὶ Βαρβαρισμοῦ καὶ Σολοικισμοῦ
Two fragments, Περὶ Βαρβαρισμοῦ καὶ Σολοικισμοῦ
Editions
appended to Valckenaer's edition of Ammonius, and in the appendices of the Thesaurus of Stephanus. The latter of them also in Boissonade's Anecdota, iii. p. 241.
8. Ἐκ τῶν Ἡρωδιανοῦ
A fragment, entitled simply Ἐκ τῶν Ἡρωδιανοῦ
Editions
In Bachmann's Anecdota Graeca, ii. p. 402, and elsewhere.
9. Φιλέταιρος
Editions
Appended to Pierson's edition of Moeris, and also published separately at Leipzig, 1831.
10. Περὶ Σχημάτων
Περὶ Σχημάτων
Editions
In Viiloison's Anecd. Gr. ii. p. 87.
11. Περὶ τῆς Λέξεως τῶν Στίχων
Editions
In Villoison, Anecd. vol. ii., and the appendix to Draco Stratonicensis, Leipzig, 1814.
12. Κανόνες περὶ Συλλαβῶν Ἐκτάσεως καὶ Συστολῆς διαλαμβάνοντες
Κανόνες περὶ Συλλαβῶν Ἐκτάσεως καὶ Συστολῆς διαλαμβάνοντες (extant in a Parisian MS. according to Bast, Répertoire de Lit. anc. p. 415.
13. Περὶ Αὐθυποτακτῶν καὶ Ἀνθυποτακτῶν
Περὶ Αὐθυποτακτῶν καὶ Ἀνθυποτακτῶν
Editions
In Bekker's Anecd. iii. p. 1086.
14. Περὶ Ἀκυρολογιας
Περὶ Ἀκυρολογιας
Editions
In Boissonade's Anecd. 3.262, &c., and Cramer's Anecd. iii. p. 263, &c., where some other less important fragments will be found). There are a few more fragments, not worth mentioning here.
Further information
Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vi. pp. 278, &c.)
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.