The Fine Line Between Courage and Fear in Procopius’s Vandal War
The emotion of ‘fear takes center stage in the Vandal War by Procopius. Recent scholarship has underlined Procopius’s stress on the febrile anxiety that gripped Constantinople when the Emperor Justinian announced his military expedition to recover the former Roman provinces of North Africa from the Vandals.
Archery in the Preface to Procopius’ Wars: A Figured Image of Agonistic Authorship
This article is a case study in the problems that can arise when a narrow interpretive lens is brought to historical texts by modern historians interested primarily in the facts of military history.
Justinian’s Reconquest: Notions of Return in Procopius’ Gothic Wars
Though the native Italians play a relatively minor role in the Gothic Wars, the essay will suggest, that in Procopius’ mind, the Western Romans’ ‘decision’ to forego their martial roles for less martial forms of male self-fashioning in the fifth century had led, not only to the rise of the ‘barbarian’ Vandals and the Goths, but had separated the Italians from an essential component of Romanitas—masculine martial virtues.
Two King of Kings? Procopius’ Presentation of Justinian and Kosrow I
This paper investigates Procopius’ description of two of the most influential men of his era: the Persian emperor Kosrow I (ruled 531-579), and the Byzantine emperor Justinian (ruled 527-565).
The date of Procopius’ Buildings in the light of recent scholarship
In the last few years there has been a huge increase in the work on Procopius. While much of this has focussed, as usual, on the Anecdota or Secret History, there have also been important discussion of the De Aedificiis or Buildings.
Theodora, Aetius of Amida, and Procopius: Some Possible Connections
Behind the purported facts of Theodora’s career as a common prostitute and later as empress are the hidden details of what we might call feminine pharmacology: what were the drugs used by prostitutes and call-girls in sixth-century Byzan- tium? Were there ordinary pharmaceuticals employed by such professionals to stay in business?
Totila: Theoderic Reborn or Barbarian Belisarius?
This essay examines the sixth-century Byzantine historian Procopius’ depiction of the Gothic king Totila.
Hard and Soft Power on the Eastern Frontier
This paper considers historical perspectives on recently discovered archaeological evidence in what was the sixth-century Roman-Persian frontier region.
Procopius’ Portrayal of Theodora in the Secret History: ‘Her Charity was Universal’
Like most other writers of late antiquity, what little is known about Procopius comes from his works. Born at the turn of the sixth century in Caesarea, he had the chance to receive education in the traditional Greek fashion, i.e. through the use of classical authors, before Justinian banned pagan teaching in 529