Editing Procopius (section)

===''Secret History''===
[[File:Meister von San Vitale in Ravenna 013.jpg|thumb|Belisarius may be this bearded figure on the right of Emperor [[Justinian I]] in the mosaic in the [[Basilica of San Vitale|Church of San Vitale]], [[Ravenna]], which celebrates the reconquest of Italy by the [[Byzantine army|Roman army]] under the skillful leadership of Belisarius.]]
Procopius's now famous ''Anecdota'', also known as ''Secret History'' ({{langx|grc|Ἀπόκρυφη Ἱστορία}}, ''Apókryphe Historía''; {{langx|la|Historia Arcana}}), was discovered centuries later at the [[Vatican Library]] in Rome<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/03/110103fa_fact_mendelsohn|title = God's Librarians|first = Daniel|last = Mendelsohn|magazine = [[The New Yorker]]|date = 26 December 2010}}</ref> and published in [[Lyon]] by [[Niccolò Alamanni]] in 1623. Its existence was already known from the ''[[Suda]]'', which referred to it as Procopius's "unpublished works" containing "comedy" and "invective" of Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius and Antonina. The ''Secret History'' covers roughly the same years as the first seven books of ''The History of the Wars'' and appears to have been written after they were published. Current consensus generally dates it to 550, or less commonly 558.

In the eyes of many scholars, the ''Secret History'' reveals an author who had become deeply disillusioned with Emperor Justinian, his wife [[Theodora (wife of Justinian I)|Theodora]], the general [[Belisarius]], and his wife [[Antonina (wife of Belisarius)|Antonina]]. The work claims to expose the secret springs of their public actions, as well as the private lives of the emperor and his entourage. Justinian is portrayed as cruel, venal, prodigal, and incompetent. In one passage, it is even claimed that he was possessed by demonic spirits or was himself a demon:

{{Blockquote|And some of those who have been with Justinian at the palace late at night, men who were pure of spirit, have thought they saw a strange demoniac form taking his place. One man said that the Emperor suddenly rose from his throne and walked about, and indeed he was never wont to remain sitting for long, and immediately Justinian's head vanished, while the rest of his body seemed to ebb and flow; whereat the beholder stood aghast and fearful, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. But presently he perceived the vanished head filling out and joining the body again as strangely as it had left it.<ref>Procopius, ''[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/procop-anec.html Secret History]'' 12.20–22, trans. Atwater.</ref>}}

Similarly, the Theodora of the ''Secret History'' is a garish portrait of vulgarity and insatiable lust juxtaposed with cold-blooded self-interest, shrewishness, and envious and fearful mean-spiritedness. Among the more titillating (and dubious) revelations in the ''Secret History'' is Procopius's account of Theodora's thespian accomplishments:

{{quote|Often, even in the theatre, in the sight of all the people, she removed her costume and stood nude in their midst, except for a girdle about the groin: not that she was abashed at revealing that, too, to the audience, but because there was a law against appearing altogether naked on the stage, without at least this much of a fig-leaf. Covered thus with a ribbon, she would sink to the stage floor and recline on her back. Slaves to whom the duty was entrusted would then scatter grains of barley from above into the calyx of this passion flower, whence geese, trained for the purpose, would next pick the grains one by one with their bills and eat.<ref>Procopius ''[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/procop-anec.html Secret History]'' 9.20–21, trans. Atwater.</ref>}}

Justinian and Theodora are portrayed as the antithesis of good rulers, with each representing the opposite side of the emotional spectrum. Justinian was approachable and kindly, even while ordering property confiscations or people's destruction. Conversely, Theodora was described as irrational and driven by her anger, often by minor affronts.<ref>{{Citation |last=Georgiou |first=Andriani |title=Empresses in Byzantine Society: Justifiably Angry or Simply Angry? |date=2019 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-96038-8_5 |work=Emotions and Gender in Byzantine Culture |series=New Approaches to Byzantine History and Culture |pages=123–126 |editor-last=Constantinou |editor-first=Stavroula |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-96038-8_5 |isbn=978-3-319-96037-1 |s2cid=149788509 |editor2-last=Meyer |editor2-first=Mati|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Furthermore, ''Secret History'' portrays Belisarius as a weak man completely emasculated by his wife, Antonina, who is portrayed in very similar terms to Theodora. They are both said to be former actresses and close friends. Procopius claimed Antonina worked as an agent for Theodora against Belisarius, and had an ongoing affair with Belisarius' godson, Theodosius.

{{anchor|The Buildings|The Buildings of Justinian|Buildings}}