Nonnosus (historian)

Nonnosos ( 6th century ) was a late ancient Eastern Roman diplomat and historian.

Nonnosos ' father Abramius (or Abrames ) was already 523 active as an envoy in Arabia; he was then Emperor Justinian ( 527-565 ) sent 530 as an envoy to southern Arabia and to the Negus of Aksum in present-day Ethiopia to discuss with an alliance. The Christian kingdom of Aksum had become attractive to the Romans as an ally, because at that time you gave to fierce battles with the Persian Sassanids, hoping the Negus could not intervene in Arabia.

Nonnosos wrote himself a Greek report on his mission, but was completely lost. John Malalas seems to have known and used in the text. In the 9th century, it was also still the Patriarch Photios I before, a summary of the obtained created ( Libraries, Codex 3). This is can be seen that Nonnosos described among other things the court of Aksum, elephants, pygmy and the Arab and East African religion.

Nonnosos must be distinguished from his older contemporaries Nonnosus, who was later revered as a saint.