Procopius: The Secret History (Penguin Classics)

The Secret History was a book written about the behind the scenes life of Emperor Justinian and his wife Empress Theodora. Procopius also documents the exploits of top general Belisarus and his quest to rebuild the Roman Empire (on a shoe string budget of course). If you want to hear classical dirt, here it is! Highly recommended.

This is one of THE classic primary sources from the Byzantine empire. It was written by Procopius who was the emperor Justinian's offician chronicler. And indeed, in the official histories according to Procopius, Justinian is the holy and wise emperor who could do no wrong. Unable to give his real opinion (or at least the flip side of the coin to any of Justinian's achievements) in this state-sanctioned propaganda, Procopius went on to write a "Secret History" aimed for publication after Justinian's death. The result is something that reads like an ancient tabloid (see his descriptions on the sexual perversions of Justinian's wife Theodora!), an endless tirade of hyperbole, rhetoric as Procopius claims Justinian to be literally the son of a demon, purposely intent on bringing havoc on Byzantium and as a vicious SOB. It is here that the reader can dismiss the whole thing as the rantings of a lunatic who had a personal grudge against Justinian (which is true). But this does not make it a worthless document. Firstly, it's genuinely interesting. A quick read made more lively by the extreme rhetoric describing Justinian's viciousness and greed - which is different to many other more "methodical" Byzantine sources. Secondly as you read it, you really do get a good look at some parts of Byzantine life, from prostitution to constant legal disputes over wills in the aristocracy to the attempts to revive/keep up the notion of a Roman empire. Thirdly and most importantly, I see Procopius in this book as more of a political commentator rather than a historian. The text does read like a modern day op-ed piece criticising a contemporary reader. I did not expect to find in the authoritarian and dogmatic world of Byzantium a voice like Procopius - who opposes torture (even of "heretics"), who thinks that women should marry who they love and who even opposed Justinian's persecutions of the Jews. All of these things make him a unique voice in his era and his work an important milestone in the history of human rights. Yes, he certainly does exaggerate. But there's no question that a lot of it is due to Justinian really being a murdering SOB and Procopius having a totally different worldview. So, besides being an interesting read, the Secret History revealed to me much about our own world and the ideas of authority, dissent and human rights - not bad for a "historical" work!

This is a good translation of Procopius most controversial opus, by G.A.Williamson, Senior Master of Classics at Norwich School (from 1922 to 1960). Whilst The Histories and Buildings are recognized as Procopius politically correct works, The Secret History tells a stunning tale of greed, corruption and destruction under Justinian and Theodora's empire.Undoubtedly Procopius (A.D. 500?-565) was a qualified witness (having been private secretary to the greatest of Byzantium generals, Belisarius), although modern historians are at odds with the contradictions between what he wrote before and after this History, and still wonder what true motivations lie at the bottom of this work. But in my opinion, for anyone interested in a different , more private, assessment of Justinian and Theodora's deeds and character, this is a book that requires to be read. With caution, but with interest. The architect of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the Codex Constructionum and the Digest, normally viewed as a "great conqueror, a great lawgiver, a great diplomat, and a great builder" (J.B. Bury) is screened in its defects by the author. The History mainly revolves around Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius and Antonina, their deeds, defects and personal motivations. Justinian is portraited as a man of infinite greed and vicious cruelty. Theodora is exposed as a harlot, with a mind perpetually fixed upon inhumanity, constantly meddling in the affairs of the state.........But let's not spoil the juicy tidbits. Let me just say that after one sorts out the mess created by this book, a more clear picture of the causes of the demise of the Roman Empire, the workings of the Imperial Court under Justinian and corruption of the mores will remain.

While being emperor Justinian's official chronicler, and writing tons of paper on his master's heroic military feats, master buildings and law codings, Procopius got some remorse and wrote the real (secret) (hi)story of the emperor, his wife Theodora and her friend Antonina, the wife of his main general Belisarius.Both Justinian and Theodora were of very humble origin. His father was a shepherd, who became head of the Praetorian Guard and killed his master to snatch the throne for himself. She was the daughter of a beartamer, who performed 'lifeshows' on the stage with a ... swan. But they reigned like any other tyrant.The Aya Sophia is indeed a brilliant architectural monument (built by Henry of Milet); the Justinian Code is a remarkable judicial document; Justinian kept the Goths out of the remains of the Roman Empire. But are these achievements worth the death by his own decisions of (at least) 50 million of his own people, by setting up the green and the blue political parties against one another? Like for Procopius, not for me.How Procopius could keep this damaging document secret and pass it to the next generations is a mystery.A book not to be missed.

The Anecdota, or Secret History, is undoubtedly the most colourful contemporary source of Byzantine history. People tend not to appreciate Procopius as much as I think they should: barring Michael Psellus and Liudprand, and maybe the Alexiad, Procopius is about the only talented writer to take on a history of the Byzantine Empire. The Anecdota is full of bawdy and outrageously libellious stories about Justinian and Theodora, undoubtedly many of them gathered at taverns over many drinks and gossip. However ridiculous, and hilarious, the account may seem, it gives us a valuable impression of the characters of Justinian and his wife. Those famous mosaics in Ravenna, picturing Justinian as the ancestor of the modern day couch potato and his wife as a decadent and domineering witch, are certainly vindicated artistically by this work.I'm a little disappointed at Penguin Classics. The Secret History is a fine work, but more valuable is Procopius's History of the Wars (the Gothic Wars), which would've made a better addition to the Penguin collection (at least an abridgement). Procopius's eloquent work on contemporary buildings is another that would've been a good pick.