The Eastern Roman church’s liturgy had become…

The Eastern Roman church’s liturgy had become firmly established with the coronation of Justinian.

A hymn writer himself, the new emperor perceives the need for trained singers to conduct the musical affairs of the church, especially because the varied Office hymns necessitate more time in the service than do the masses of the Western church.

Soon, the Eastern liturgy includes elaborate services rich in hymns.

The principal forms of hymns in Eastern Roman music, are the “troparion” established in the fourth century, a monostrophic prayer with responses interpolated between psalm verses; and the “kontakion,” a poetic form with numerous stanzas, whose initial letters form an acrostic.

Priscian, Latin grammarian, writes the Institutiones Grammaticae ("Grammatical Foundations").

In Constantinople, he codifies this manuscript in eighteen volumes that will be widely used through the Middle Ages, providing the raw material for the field of speculative grammar.

The details of Priscian's life are largely unknown.

Priscian was of Greek descent, and was born and raised in Caesarea (modern Cherchell, Algeria) the capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis.

According to Cassiodorus, he taught Latin at Constantinople.

Priscian's minor works include a panegyric to Anastasius (491—518), written about 512, which helps establish his time period.

In addition, the manuscripts of his Institutiones grammaticae contain a subscription to the effect that the work was copied (526, 527) by Flavius Theodorus, a clerk in the imperial secretariat.