George Syncellus

EIGHTH/ninth CENTURY. Byzantine church historian. Almost nothing is known of his personal life except that he may have lived for a time in Palestine. He should not be confused with Syncellus of Tarasius, who was patriarch of Constantinople (784-806). He wrote a Chronicle which traces human history from Creation to the time of Diocletian (245-313). But the form in which the Chronicle is now preserved also contains an additional section probably by his friend Theophanes Confessor. The appendix covers the period 313-813. Although it does contain some original material, its value lies more as an illustrative piece of historiography than factual accuracy.