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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page book review that examines Procopius’ The Secret History.The writer argues that examination of this text shows that Procopius felt that the most pressing problem of his generation was the tyrannical and amoral nature of its ruling class. In other words, Procopius’ Secret History offers a far different picture of early Byzantium than one gained by simply considering its artistic accomplishments, which characterize it as a “golden age.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khprohis.rtf
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"golden age," due to the fact that Justinian was a "prolific builder and a patron of the arts" (Byzantine Art and Architecture). However, the writing of Procopius of Caesarea definitely
does not convey the ideas that he believed himself to be living in a golden age. Procopius describes both Justinian and his greatest general, Belisarius, as being dominated by their
licentious wives. In his account, The Secret History, which was never published during Procopius lifetime, Theodora, the empress, is viewed as morally without scruples of any kind and insatiable in
her sexual desires. The emperor is viewed as a ruthless tyrant and the entire account borders on the pornographic. As this suggests, examination of this text shows that Procopius felt
that the most pressing problem of his generation was the tyrannical and amoral nature of its ruling class. In other words, Procopius Secret History offers a far different picture
of early Byzantium than one gained by simply considering its artistic accomplishments. What is most startling about this "secret" history is that Procopius was not simply some malcontent writing
propaganda, but was rather a noted intellectual of his era who was in a position to know the seamy details of the lives of the periods most prominent personages. He
was a counselor to Belisarius and accompanied him on several of his campaigns and he may have been a prefect of Constantinople (Halsall). As this suggests, the histories penned by
Procopius concerning the reign of Justinian are as "indispensable for the history of that age as those of Thucydides (are) for classical Athens" (Pazdernik 36). Procopius begins by discussing the
marriage of Belisarius and Antonina. He states that prior to marrying Belisarius, Antonina had "already given birth to one child after another" and that it was never her intention to
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