The writer Procopius of Caesarea is a person thanks to whom the modern reader can learn in detail about the history of Byzantium of the VI century. Until now, no one has been better able than him to describe and evaluate that era.
Origin
Syrian Procopius of Caesarea was born at the end of the 5th century. The exact date of his birth is unknown due to insufficient sources. However, his hometown is known - this is Caesarea, located in Palestine. Among other things, it was also a scientific center with many schools. Therefore, Procopius of Caesarea received an excellent classical education, which allowed him to advance his service. The personal qualities of this person also played a significant role. He was distinguished by liveliness of mind and quick wit.
Most likely, Procopius of Caesarea came from an aristocratic family of senators. Firstly, it also allowed him to easily enter the Byzantine state administration system. Secondly, in his writings, he discussed in detail the bureaucracy of the Empire and compared it with the Roman system. These parallels are not random. In 376, the united Roman Empire fell into two parts. The eastern half became Byzantium. Western soon perished under the onslaught of barbarians. Soon, Greek culture and language triumphed in the east. It also changed the state system. Roman laws and models were reformatted to new realities. Procopius was a supporter of old designs that appeared in the Eternal City.
Public service
One way or another, but he managed to quickly advance in the service. In 527, Emperor Justinian (one of the most successful and famous rulers of Constantinople) appointed him Advisor and Secretary to Flavius Belisarius. It was the main commander of the state and the right hand of the ruler. Of course, no one could be appointed to such a position. The historian Procopius of Caesarea already enjoyed an indisputable reputation in his midst.
Participation in important events of the era
Thanks to his position, the secretary of Belisarius was able to witness the most significant and major events of that era. In the late 20s of the VI century, he visited Persia, with which Byzantium had a war. A few years later, in the capital of the empire of Constantinople, an unprecedented uprising of Nick broke out. Procopius of Caesarea saw him with his own eyes. The work of the historian was devoted to events that he encountered on his life's journey.
Such, for example, was the Byzantine campaign against the kingdom of vandals in North Africa. While Belisarius led the army to storm the cities of the enemy, his secretary carefully recorded everything that was happening, then to use this material in his deep and interesting books.
Vandals were barbarians who destroyed the Western Roman Empire. In addition to them, other peoples settled on its ruins. These were the Goths who settled in Italy. With them, Belisarius conducted two wars, in which Procopius of Caesarea was also. The biography of the historian was full of amazing events associated with dangers. In 540, he again found himself at war with the Persians who invaded Syria. And after this campaign, a deadly plague epidemic began in Constantinople.
A key advantage of Procopius over other researchers of that era was its high status. He had access to secret documents and the correspondence of Belisarius with Justinian. The historian also established himself as a diplomat, since he was present at every meeting with foreign rulers with whom wars were fought and armistice was concluded.
Broad-minded Writer
Procopius of Caesarea died in Constantinople in 565. He spent his last years processing huge amounts of material he had accumulated during his service. Thanks to his education, he possessed all the skills of an excellent writer. This helped him write many books, most of which have been translated into Russian.
In the works of Procopius, references to ancient authors constantly slip. There is no doubt that he was a well-read man and knew Thucydides, Homer, Xenophon and Herodotus. Also, the writer was well versed in Greek history, which helped him in describing the provinces of the Byzantine Empire. He was strong in ancient mythology, which by that time had already become the rudiment of the past (Christianity was the official religion in the state). This was a great success, since the study of paganism, if not punished, was not encouraged in most of the empire. At home, they continued to explore the heritage of the past, which was done by Procopius of Caesarea. The photo of the ruins of his city suggests that it was a flourishing place where there were all conditions for obtaining versatile knowledge - from philosophy to history.
"History of Wars"
Most of all, Procopius is known for his eight-volume work under the general title "History of Wars." In each part, a specific Byzantine conflict of the Justinian era is described. This lively chronicle led by the writer ends with the events of 552.
Altogether, eight volumes can be divided into a trilogy that describes the war against the Persians, Vandals, and Goths. At the same time, there is a tradition in world publishing practice to print each section individually. This does not violate the logical order of the narrative, since in general these works were written separately, although they described one era.
The signature style of the writer was scale. He talked about each war with detailed descriptions of the region where it took place. In addition to geographical features, Procopius investigated the history and ethnic composition of each region. During his lifetime, the “History of Wars” and “On Buildings” were published. Thanks to these books, the author became the patriarch of Byzantine history. Contemporaries deservedly compared him to Herodotus.
The Secret History
There are two more famous works of Procopius: “On Buildings” and “Secret History”. After the publication, it caused a lot of scandals.
What did Procopius of Caesarea want to say in his Secret History? In it, he described all the same events of his era, but this time he considered them from a completely different angle. If the reader studies the “History of Wars” and “The Secret History”, then he may have a sense of cognitive dissonance. In the first book, the author writes according to the official point of view on events. But in The Secret History, he did not shy from criticizing the top officials of the empire.
Duality Procopius
Due to the insufficiency of known facts, Procopius’s biography may seem inconsistent, as if he does not have his own position. Nevertheless, most of the researchers of his works agree that the writer did not like the Justinian regime, and wrote his "official" books in order not to conflict with the authorities. But even this does not negate the fact that this is the highest quality literature with detailed descriptions that are no longer in any source of this time.
Political involvement did not in any way damage the quality of the material, the author of which was Procopius of Caesarea. A brief biography of the author may make it clear that he was well versed in what he wrote. Especially vividly and interestingly he described the life and life of the barbarian tribes - the Germans and Slavs, who came into contact with Byzantium. This material is especially valuable, since there is nothing left of those customs and norms, and they can be restored only from similar sources.
Description of the life of the barbarians
What prompted Procopius of Caesarea to take up this issue in such detail? First, the point is its origin. He was a Syrian and Hellenized only with time, accepting Greek norms and language as a loyal subject of the empire. That is, from early childhood, he grew up in an environment of different cultures that are adjacent to each other.
Secondly, Procopius studied the languages and customs of foreign nations for practical purposes. Since he worked at the headquarters of the army, he needed to know as much as possible about the enemy. This can explain the fact that he describes in such detail the history of barbarians or Persians. Thanks to excursions into the past, the author showed the reader how an incomprehensible and alien society lives and interacts in, where Byzantine orders prevail. For example, this is very well traced on the example of the Gothic nobility, which Procopius described in detail.
He himself became a witness to their relationship and was in the settlements of the Slavs and Germans. This compares favorably with, for example, Tacitus, who wrote his historical works without leaving his office (although their high quality is also difficult to challenge). Nevertheless, only the Byzantine secretary can meet his corporate identity, which enlivened the pictures of life and life of distant peoples, which was not the case with other authors.
“About buildings”
This book is a unique composition. Despite the specificity and dryness of the language, the work remains a unique source for historians, archaeologists and people who are simply interested in the past. In the book, Procopius describes all the construction activities of the Justinian era.
With this emperor, Byzantium experienced its brightest flowering. The wealth and wealth of the treasury allowed the ruler to invest in the most ambitious projects of his time.
It is them who are described by Procopius. Most of his attention was paid, of course, to the capital of the empire - Constantinople, where the "construction of the century" was unfolding. Also, the author was able to speculate on the internal and foreign policies of the state against the background of his textured material.