The important conflict for us to look at is the war between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines in Sicily and southern Italy. In them, Procopius talks at length about the campaigns underway in continental Italy and the posturing happening at the Persian border. Two of these wars were the subjects for Procopius’ histories, aptly titled Histories of the Wars. For example, at the conclusion of Procopius’s historical text Buildings he ends with connecting the emperor to a demi-god “They swell with pride and smile upon the Emperor, offering him honours as though to a demi-god, after his magnificent achievements.” During the time of the official histories’ writing, the Byzantine Empire was waging several wars on the periphery of their borders. In contrast to the vitriolic tone of Procopius’ Anecdota, the official histories are more formally penned and glorify Justinian I. Procopius’ Anecdota, informally referred to as the Secret Histories, tells a tale not of the good emperor that he extols in his official histories, but rather of a demon disguised as a man, seeking the total destruction of his empire: “That Justinian was not a man, but a demon, as I have said, in human form, one might prove by considering the enormity of the evils he brought upon mankind.” Several centuries later, a dusty tome was found hidden behind a fake wall in the Vatican Library. His official histories of Justinian I’s rule have been extolled for millennia as the peak of historical recording since the Roman Empire.

Procopius chronicled the reign of Justinian I (d. One such case would be the famed Byzantine historian Procopius (d.

Throughout history, there are several examples of exalted historians manipulating the tales they are telling in service of an empire. In other words, revisionist history.Īfter the immediate feeling of shock subsided, I remembered that revising history has been the tried-and-true method to building an empire. Russian forces were coercing Ukrainian teachers to teach a new curriculum in Russian that laundered the reputation of Russia and its leading figures. It did not talk about military progress or strategic victories, but rather, it raised alarmist concerns about the education system in occupied Ukraine. Skimming through the Wall Street Journal at school the other day, an article about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine caught my eye.

The secret history by procopius