Late Antique Muckraking

Procopius, born in Caesarea in Palestine at the end of the 5th century, became a lawyer. In 527 AD, he was appointed legal advisor and secretary to Belisarius, commander against the Persians, and followed him again in 533 against the Vandals and in 535 against the Ostrogoths. Sometime after 540, he returned to Constantinople. It might have been Procopius who was the prefect of Constantinople in 562, but the date of his death (after 558) is unknown.

Procopius's History of the Wars is in 8 books and recounts the Persian Wars of the emperors Justin and Justinian until 550 (2 books); the Vandalic War and subsequent events in Africa 532–546 (2 books); the Gothic War against the Ostrogoths in Sicily and Italy 536–552 (3 books); and a recounting of events up to 554 (1 book). The whole consists mainly of military history, with a wealth of information about peoples and places as well as special events. He was a diligent, careful, and skeptical narrator of events and developments and shows good descriptive skills. He is fair towards the enemies of the empire and dares to criticize Emperor Justinian.

Other works by Procopius include the Anecdota or Secret History—intense attacks on Justinian, Theodora, and others; and the Buildings of Justinian (up to 558 AD), including roads and bridges as well as churches, forts, hospitals, and others throughout the empire. The Procopius edition of the Loeb Classical Library is in seven volumes.