Appian was born in Alexandria in the late 1st century AD, likely around 100 AD. He held administrative positions in his hometown and later, established in Rome, served as a Roman citizen fulfilling duties as an advocate in trials before the emperors, ultimately being promoted to imperial commissioner.

The year of his death is unknown, but it is believed that he lived until around 165 AD. He wrote the "Roman History," which chronicles the history of Rome from the founding of the city up to the 2nd century AD. For classifying his material, he used an ethnographic rather than a chronological criterion.

Appian's History was divided into twenty-four books. Of these, almost eleven books have survived intact, detailing the peoples who interacted with the Romans and the five he wrote about the Civil Wars. From other sources, we have smaller excerpts attributable to Byzantine abridgments.

Appian provides a narrative of events rather than an in-depth analysis of historical developments. Generally reliable, he often presents the accounts of all parties involved in an event, offers cross-references of the same events from various sources, and preserves much valuable material about critical historical periods, especially concerning the Civil Wars.

[Excerpt from the publisher's or edition's presentation text]