The Secret History

Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500–565), a counselor, assessor, and secretary to the Roman general Belisarius, possessed a profound understanding of military affairs. Regarded as a preeminent historian of Emperor Justinian’s wars, he stands as the paramount figure among later Greek historians. Though Procopius was considered a loyal Byzantine subject, this secret work reveals a different story. Here, Procopius unveils a tapestry of debauchery, avarice, brutality, moral bankruptcy, corruption, deceit, wholesale slaughter, spite, and cunning. The chronicle reveals impulsive murders, falsification of wills, and payment of tribute to purported “barbarians.” Procopius contends that Justinian was more than a mere human, likening him to a force of pure malevolence. He posits that Justinian’s inner circle was complicit in a range of unethical and brutal acts, painting a chilling portrait of an autocrat unbound by conventional constraints. David Timson’s eloquent rendition in the quintessential Queen’s English offers a pleasurable auditory experience, though his melodious tones are somewhat at odds with the subject material.