ABSTRACT
For a writer of the sixth century, Procopius is as remarkable for what he leaves out as for what he does have to say. It is a curious paradox that the major historian of Justinian, judging by volume as well as quality, leaves many areas of contemporary life unexplored. Some are hinted at only to be denigrated,1 but most are left out because they simply do not fit their rigid framework of military history which Procopius has imposed upon the Wars. It is Procopius’ own view of what is important and what suitable for inclusion that has had most effect, and which has made his work seem most deceptively classical. On one level, then, Procopius is notable for the powerfully traditional conception of history displayed in the Wars, so restricted a conception in the context of sixth-century Byzantium that he needed a Secret History and perhaps also a Buildings even to approach the rounded view of which he was capable. But at a deeper level, all three works present certain uniform characteristics, modes of thought or terms of expression which transcend the barriers of genre or intention. We must now look both at the self-imposed restrictions in Procopius’ work and at these underlying unities.
