Procopius
Wars, Secret History — Justinian's historian
The last great historian in the classical Greek tradition. His Wars chronicled Justinian's campaigns with Thucydidean rigor; the Secret History — unpublished in his lifetime — is the most savage portrait of a ruler in all of literature, depicting Justinian and Theodora as demons in human form.
Key works
- Wars (History of the Wars)~550— Eight books covering Justinian's campaigns in Persia, Africa, and Italy
- Secret History (Anecdota)~550— Unpublished exposé — Justinian and Theodora as monsters
- Buildings (De Aedificiis)~560— Panegyric to Justinian's building program, including Hagia Sophia