Procopius of Caesarea: biography, contribution to science, works

The writer Procopius of Caesarea is a man thanks to whom the modern reader can learn in detail about the VI century. Until now, no one has succeeded better than him in describing and assessing that era.

Origin

The 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 in his service. Not the last role was played by the personal qualities of this person. He was distinguished by his quickness of mind and ingenuity.

Most likely, Procopius of Caesarea was from an aristocratic family of senators. Firstly, it also allowed him to easily enter the state administrative system of Byzantium. Secondly, in his writings he spoke in detail about the bureaucracy of the Empire and compared it with the Roman system. These parallels are not accidental. In 376, the united Roman Empire split into two parts. The eastern half became Byzantium. The western one soon perished under the onslaught of the barbarians. Soon Greek culture and language triumphed in the east. It also changed the state system. Roman laws and models were reformatted to fit the new realities. Procopius, on the other hand, was a supporter of the old models 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 unquestioned 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. At the end of the 20s of the VI century, he visited Persia, with which Byzantium had a war. A few years later, in the capital of the empire, Constantinople, an unprecedented uprising of Nika broke out. Procopius of Caesarea saw him with his own eyes. The works of the historian were devoted to the events that he encountered on his life path.

Such, for example, was the Byzantine campaign against the Vandal kingdom in North Africa. While Belisarius led the armies to storm the cities of the enemy, his secretary carefully recorded everything that happened, in order to later use this material in his deep and interesting books.

The Vandals were barbarians who destroyed the Western Roman Empire. In addition to them, other peoples settled on its ruins. Such were the Goths who settled in Italy. With them, Belisarius fought two wars, in which Procopius of Caesarea was also. The biography of the historian was full of amazing events, fraught with dangers. In 540, he again found himself at war with the Persians, who invaded Syria. And after this campaign, a deadly plague epidemic broke out in Constantinople.

The key advantage of Procopius over other researchers of that era was his high-ranking status. He had access to secret documents and correspondence between Belisarius and Justinian. The historian also established himself as a diplomat, as he was present at every meeting with foreign rulers with whom wars were fought and truces were concluded.

The writer's broad horizons

Procopius of Caesarea died in Constantinople in 565. He spent his last years processing the vast amount 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 work of Procopius, references to ancient authors constantly slip through. 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. He was also strong in ancient mythology, which by that time had already become a vestige of the past (Christianity was the official religion in the state). This was a great success, since in most of the empire the study of paganism was already, if not punished, then not encouraged. At home, they continued to explore the legacy of the past, which Procopius of Caesarea also did. A 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". Each part describes a specific conflict in the Byzantine era of Justinian. This living chronicle, which the writer kept, 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, in the world publishing practice, a tradition has developed to print each section separately. This in no way violates 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 told about each war with detailed descriptions of the region where it took place. In addition to geographical features, Procopius studied 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 with Herodotus.

"Secret History"

There are two more famous works of Procopius: "On Buildings" and "Secret History". After its 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 viewed them from a completely different angle. If the reader studies the "History of Wars" and "The Secret History", then he may get the feeling that 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 away from criticizing the first persons of the empire.

The duality of Procopius

Due to the lack of known biography facts, Procopius 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 Justinian's 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 literature of the highest quality with detailed descriptions that are no longer in any source of this time.

Political engagement 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 can make it clear that he was well versed in what he wrote about. Especially vividly and interestingly, he described the life and life of the barbarian tribes - Germans and Slavs, who were in contact with Byzantium. This material is especially valuable, since nothing remains of those customs and norms, and they can only be restored from similar sources.

Description of the life of the barbarians

What prompted Procopius of Caesarea to tackle this issue in such detail? First, it's about 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, adjacent to each other.

Secondly, Procopius studied the languages ​​and customs of foreign peoples for practical purposes. Since he worked at the headquarters of the army in the field, he needed to know as much as possible about the enemy. This may explain the fact that he describes the history of the barbarians or Persians in such detail. Thanks to excursions into the past, the author showed the reader how an incomprehensible and alien society lives and interacts, where completely non-Byzantine orders reign. For example, this is very well seen in the example of the Gothic nobility, which Procopius described in detail.

He himself became a witness of their relationship and visited the settlements of the Slavs and Germans. In this he compares favorably with, for example, Tacitus, who wrote his historical works without leaving his office (although their high quality is also hard to challenge). And yet, only the Byzantine secretary can find his corporate style, which enlivened the pictures of the life and life of distant peoples, which was not the case with other authors.

"About Buildings"

This book is a unique piece. 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 building activities of the Justinian era.
At the same time, it experienced its brightest flowering. The wealth and security of the treasury allowed the ruler to invest in the most ambitious projects of his time.

This is what Procopius describes. Most of his attention is paid, of course, to the capital of the empire - Constantinople, where the "construction of the century" unfolded. The author also managed to speculate about the domestic and foreign policy of the state against the background of his textural material.