The Laterculus is preserved in two manuscripts, one in the Vatican, the other in Leiden. Since the Vatican manuscript is the most important, I begin with it.

VATICAN CITY, BIBLIOTECA APOSTOLICA VATICANA, PAL. LAT. 277

The Vatican manuscript is apparently composite, consisting of two parts: Part I (fols. 1–93), written in uncial script, and II (fols. 94–115), written in minuscule. It is Part I which includes Laterculus Malalianus. The size of the manuscript is 222 × 154 mm. There are thirteen quires in Part I, the first eleven having eight folios, and the last two having only four. Part II consists of four quires, the first two of eight folios, the last two of four folios. There are no quire, signatures in the manuscript. The codicological distinction between Part I and Part II is revealed by the different methods used for preparing the parchment. In Part I, the ruling is guided by slits, vertical in some quires (e.g. Quire IX) and horizontal in others (e.g. Quire IV). These sheets were ruled on the hair side, two or three sheets at a time. In Part II, on the other hand, the ruling is guided by pinpricks, and the sheets ruled four at a time – that is to say, quire by quire.