ABSTRACT
There is a consensus that Procopius is one of the great historians of the ancient world, and most probably the greatest of all Byzantine historians – witness the inclusion of Procopius in the Great Historians series, which provoked discussion at the Oxford conference from which this volume emerged. The author argues that Procopius is, indeed, a great historian, partly on the basis of comparisons with these other acknowledged 'greats', partly through what and how he narrated. Scholarly attention to Procopius has inevitably focused on the issue of his three different works: the historical narrative in Wars, the vicious diatribe against Justinian and Theodora, but also, to a lesser extent, Belisarius, in the Secret History, and the panegyric of Buildings. Assessment of Procopius' standing as a historian must be on the basis of the Wars, with that assessment being informed, where appropriate, with information from the Secret History on Procopius' thoughts.
