Priscian.

Byzantine scholar. Eleven writings are attributed to Priscian. Their order of composition is not known and only estimates of their dates can be made. Priscian’s most important work is clearly his Institutiones grammaticae. He certainly completed this large work, now formatted in two volumes, before 526, when it was copied by Theodorus. In its dedication to one “Julianus, consul and patrician,” Priscian states that he has translated from the Greek treatises of the grammarian Apollonius Dyscolus (fl. second century) and his son, the language scholar Aelius Herodianus (fl. second century). Priscian chose his sources well, for Apollonius has been called “the father of scientific grammar,” and Herodianus continued his father’s work. They lived in Alexandria and Rome serving the emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, respectively. Priscian follows Apollonius closely in his treatment of pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions, and syntax, as can be determined from the extant parts of the latter’s work. Apollonius’s most original contribution to grammatical studies was in the area of syntax. Nevertheless, Priscian believed his own book to be brief compared to the “spacious scrolls” of Apollonius or the “sea” of Herodianus. Indeed, the success of Priscian’s Institutiones grammaticae may derive from its relative brevity.