Written in Syriac around AD 506, The Chronicle of Edessa is one of the most remarkable eyewitness accounts to survive from the ancient world. Its author — traditionally named Joshua the Stylite — was a monk living in the Mesopotamian city of Edessa during a decade of catastrophe: famine, plague, locusts, earthquakes, and a brutal war between the Roman and Persian empires that brought the enemy to the city's very walls. His chronicle records the suffering and resilience of ordinary people with startling immediacy, from the rising price of grain to the courage of city defenders. This new edition renders the chronicle in clear, present-day English while remaining faithful to its meaning and spirit. An introduction, glossary, and reading guide help today's readers enter the world of late antique Edessa. Part of The World Scriptures Library.