Heliodorus of Emesa was an ancient Greek writer. He is best known as the author of the ancient Greek novel Aethiopica, which is also commonly known under the title Theagenes and Chariclea.
Very little is known about his life, and his historical timeline remains a subject of scholarly discussion. Based on various analyses, the composition of his famous novel—and thus his active writing career—has been dated to either the 220s AD or the 370s AD.