THE ANECDOTA OR SECRET HISTORY DEWING)(GREEK)

Procopius born at Caesarea in Palestine late in the 5th century became a lawyer. In 527 CE he was made legal adviser and secretary of Belisarius commander against the Persians and went with Belisarius again in 533 against the Vandals and in 535 against the Ostrogoths. Sometime after 540 he returned to Constantinople. He may have been that Procopius who was prefect of Constantinople in 562 but the date of his death (after 558) is unknown.Procopiuss History of the Wars in 8 books recounts the Persian Wars of emperors Justinus and Justinian down to 550 (2 books): the Vandalic War and afterevents in Africa 532546 (2 books): the Gothic War against the Ostrogoths in Sicily and Italy 536552 (3 books): and a sketch of events to 554 (1 book). The whole consists largely of military history with much information about peoples and places as well and about special events. He was a diligent careful judicious narrator of facts and developments and shows good powers of description. He is just to the empires enemies and boldly criticises emperor Justinian. Other works by Procopius are the Anecdota or Secret History vehement attacks on Justinian Theodora and others: and The Buildings of Justinian (down to 558 CE) including roads and bridges as well as churches forts hospitals and so on in various parts of the empire.