Procopius of Caesarea - Byzantine writer and historian: biography, creativity
Procopius of Caesarea is a writer, scientist who made a huge contribution to historical science. Thanks to him, we, the descendants, know more about the history of the mighty Byzantine Empire. However, the Russians are also indebted to this scientist: it is believed that it was Procopius of Caesarea who for the first time made a description of the first East Slavic tribes at the official level. Our history begins its countdown precisely from the events described in the works of this historian. We will tell you more about it in this article.
Procopius of Caesarea: biography
Procopius was born in the 5th century. Caesarea is his hometown in Palestine, from which he gets his nickname. In it, the future scientist received an excellent education, since the city was a scientific center with many schools and libraries. The future writer was born into an aristocratic family. Education, origin, personal qualities of Procopius - all this gave impetus to his career ladder.
In 527 Emperor Justinian appointed him advisor to Flavius Belisarius. Even the children of large aristocrats of the empire could not immediately get such a position. Belisarius is a commander, known for resounding victories around the world, the right hand of the emperor, in fact, the second person in the state. Thanks to his position, Procopius of Caesarea participated in the most important events of the empire in the 6th century. He not only became an important witness who personally observed the course of history, he also described everything that happened.
Origin controversy
Historians are still arguing: to what family did Procopius belong? There is only one opinion: the future writer and historian from an aristocratic family. Some researchers believe that he comes from the old Roman senatorial nobility, others - that he is from the provincial aristocracy, formed from the merger of representatives of the military-administrative apparatus of the empire and the aristocracy of the ancient Greek policies.
Procopius received not only a classical education in his hometown, but also a legal education in Beirut. Hence his craving for jurisprudence.
Procopius at the center of political events
The Byzantine Empire in the VI century was going through hard times: there were constant wars, internal conflicts, civil unrest. The descendants were very lucky: Procopius was constantly in the thick of political events.
In 537-531. he, along with the commander Belisarius, was in the east of the empire. Just at this time, hostilities began with the Persians, which formed the basis of the first part of his trilogy "War with the Persians".
In 531, the commander was returned to the capital. The historian Procopius of Caesarea naturally followed him. There he was "lucky" again: in 532, there was a bloody "Nika" uprising. These events are also reflected in his writings.
In 533-536. Procopius observes Belisarius' crushing victory over the Vandals in North Africa, which results in their kingdom joining the Eastern Roman Empire.
In 536, our hero is in Rome, where the illustrious commander Belisarius is fighting against the Ostrogoths.
In 541, the historian again finds himself on the eastern frontiers, where the empire continues to fight the Persians.
The decline of the political career of Procopius
The war with the Italian Ostrogoths was unsuccessful for Byzantium in general, and for Belisarius in particular. After her, the illustrious commander lost his reputation. Then he still appears on the eastern front against the Persians, but soon he completely disappears into the shadows and no longer falls into the pages of history. Together with the end of the career of Belisarius, the political career of his right hand, Procopius of Caesarea, also ends.
The loss of political status is not fatal for the historian: by 540 he had already established himself as a well-known publicist, his name became famous not only within the empire, but also far beyond its borders.
In 542, Procopius is in the capital. And again, the historian is at the epicenter of the most important events: the Byzantine Empire is experiencing a terrible plague epidemic. It is the capital that suffers from it the most.
Distinctive feature of the work
The Byzantine writer Procopius was distinguished by the scale in his writings. Contemporaries highly appreciated his work, called him the Herodotus of his time. In addition to the main events, in his works the historian described in detail the geography of the regions, the ethnic composition of various peoples, the origin, etc. Procopius was more interested not in the event itself, but in its causal relationships. Some of his publications made a lot of hype in the future. In this era, there are no more fundamental works like those of Procopius.
Proceedings
Procopius of Caesarea is known for such works as: "On Buildings", "History of Wars", "Secret History". It was the last work that made a lot of noise: in it he criticized the first persons of the state. "History of Wars" and "Secret History" roughly describe the same events, but with diametrically opposed assessments of the author. Many will have a desire to declare it inconsistent, in the absence of their pronounced position. In fact, the reason is different: the historian created two versions. One was "official", which will please the authorities, the second - "secret", for posterity. The political engagement of the author, his disdain for the current government does not negate the fact that his works are really of the highest level.
Why did Procopius study barbarian peoples?
Procopius and his writings are the only sources that contain a detailed description of the Germanic and Slavic peoples in the 6th century. What is the reason for his interest? Why is he so interested in the barbarians?
Researchers believe there are several reasons:
- Procopius is a Syrian by origin. Lived in Palestine, adopting Greek norms and language. From birth, he grew up in an environment of neighborhood of different cultures and languages.
- A detailed study of the peoples had a practical purpose: the empire was in constant contact with its neighbors. As an adviser to the greatest commander of his time, he had to know the origin, culture, languages of various peoples.
- As a lawyer, he was interested in the political life of various peoples. Procopius was a supporter of the system of government that was in the Western Roman Empire. That is why he criticized his rulers. He was also very interested in knowing in detail about the political structure of the barbarians - Germans and Slavs.
The works of Procopius are especially valuable in that he personally observed many of the events described with his own eyes, often traveled, and visited barbarian tribes. In this he surpasses all other famous historians of all times and peoples. If we take, for example, Tacitus, then all his works were described "according to rumors." He himself never left his city. Although begging for the works of Tacitus is also not worth it. Procopius, on the contrary, described only those facts that he had the honor to observe personally. He himself not only wrote, but also made history, being the right hand of one of the greatest commanders of his time.
"About Buildings"
"On Buildings" is a unique work for historians and archaeologists. In it, the author describes all the construction activities of the Justinian era. Procopius lived in the era of the greatest economic power of Byzantium: the treasury was simply bursting with gold. The reason was that the empire was the only stable and secure land through which there were trade links between East and West. A huge territory, a strong army, proximity to barbarian disunited tribes - all this made it possible to strengthen the trade monopoly. It was still far from the creation of strong European states and a powerful Arab caliphate, therefore Byzantium was considered the world center of trade, culture, science, art, and architecture.
In the VI century, construction took place throughout the empire. However, the main "construction of the century" unfolded in Constantinople. It was here that the attention of the historian was drawn.
About the Slavs
Procopius is the first historian who described in detail the life, customs and some features of the Slavic tribes. In addition, it was he who first singled out a tribal union from them - the Ants. It is believed that the Antes are the first mention of the Eastern Slavs. In his works, Procopius clearly separates them from the rest of the Slavs: the work is called “On the Slavs and Ants”. In this work, Procopius clearly indicates that "in ancient times, both of these tribes were called disputes ("scattered")." In all other respects, the historian does not make any distinction between the Slavs and the Antes, but throughout the entire work he writes these two names separated by commas.
What does Procopius of Caesarea say about the Slavs? It can be seen from his work that our ancestors in the 6th century were still at the stage of military democracy, there was no social stratification and the emergence of the nobility. The Slavs had military tactics: the historian described one of the attacks of the Slavic tribes on the Byzantine city of Toper. A single army was divided into a small part and the main forces. A small group acted as bait: they came close to the city and began to besiege it. The Byzantine garrison, seeing a small detachment, decided to punish the barbarians for the bold trick. Leaving the city, the Roman soldiers attacked the Slavs. They began to retreat, leading the enemy away from the city. After the Romans retreated a long distance from the city, the main forces of the Slavs hit, completely defeating the settlement. Ordinary citizens tried to defend the city, but the Slavs fired a hail of arrows, forcing them to descend from the walls, after which they took the city.
Procopius speaks of the extreme cruelty of the Slavic tribes: “They spared neither age nor sex. The whole land of Illyria and Thrace was covered with unburied bodies.
Procopius of Caesarea: "History of Wars"
"History of Wars" is a fundamental work of 8 volumes describing the wars of Emperor Justinian the First. The first two volumes are devoted to the wars with Persia, the third and fourth - to the conquest of the Vandals, the rest - to the conquest of the Ostrogoths. The work describes the events that took place from 530 to 553.
The peculiarity of the work lies in the fact that it not only describes the fighting, as was customary in the classical works of historians of previous eras, but also traces a deep analysis of cause-and-effect relationships.
