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The Secret History (Penguin Classics) Paperback – December 18, 2007

by Procopius (Author), Peter Sarris (Editor, Translator, Introduction), G. A. Williamson (Translator)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 249 ratings
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A trusted member of the Byzantine establishment, Procopius was the Empire's official chronicler, and his History of the Wars of Justinian proclaimed the strength and wisdom of the Emperor's reign. Yet all the while the dutiful scribe was working on a very different—and dangerous—history to be published only once its author was safely in his grave. The Secret History portrays the 'great lawgiver' Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress and whore, and the brilliant general Belisarius as the pliable dupe of his scheming wife Antonina. Magnificently hyperbolic and highly opinionated, The Secret History is a work of explosive energy, depicting holy Byzantium as a hell of murder and misrule.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    140 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    December 18, 2007
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7.7 x 6.47 x 0.43 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0140455280
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0140455281
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Procopius was born in Palestine around AD 500 and fought for the Byzantine Empire in Persia, Africa and Italy. Very little is known about him.

G.A. Williamson (1895-1982) was a Classical Exhibitioner at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a First Class Honours degree. He was Senior Classics Master at Norwich School from 1922 to 1960. He translated Josephus: The Jewish War (1959) and Procopius: The Secret History (1966) for the Penguin Classics. He died in 1982.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; New Ed. / edition (December 18, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 140 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140455280
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140455281
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 6.47 x 0.43 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 249 ratings

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Procopius

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
249 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fred W. Hallberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Moral Perversion in the Palace at Byzantium
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2003
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I have the opportunity to tour Istanbul this fall, so I read Procopius' "Secret History" as a start toward getting grounded in the history of the area. The book really singed my eyebrows! The main characters described by Procopius are the Emperor Justinian, the Emperess Theodora, the general Belisarius, and his wife Antonia. (The time period is the first half of the 6th Century.) The men are described as weak and vascillating, whereas the women are either amoral sexual athletes or sexual monsters, depending on your point of view.
I cannot bring myself to even describe many of the sexual exploits of these two women. Perhaps one mild example will give the flavor of their willingness to experiment beyond what I could have ever imagined. Have you ever heard of laying naked on the floor, being sprinkled with barley, and then allowing geese to come in and nibble the barley off one's body? That story transgresses the horizon of my sexual imagination.
Both women had a lust for cruelty, as well as for sexual pleasure. They meddled in affairs of state, and contributed to the decline and fall of Roman civilization in the West. (Belisarius destroyed Gothic power in the West, but did not stay to re-build Roman institutions, due to meddling back in Byzantium. So the truly barbaric Lombards took over, and western civilization collapsed irretrievably.
I was never told this aspect of the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" when I was a boy in school (or even when I was a young man in college for that matter!).
Fred Hallberg
21 people found this helpful
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Bang
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024
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My only gripe is while I was reading it, I could already feel the English translation is probably not as fluid or comprehensive if I were to be reading it in Greek or Latin.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning book
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2021
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The things contained in this book are stunning to say the least. Of course there is a fair amount of hyperbole, and clearly procopius was a fan of neither Justinian nor Belasarius, the stories contained within are absolutely fascinating and very relevant to today. It's almost like western liberals and tech giants stole their entire play book from Justinian as recorded in the secret history. From divide and conquer techniques to extortion of byzantine subjects to limitless avarice, moral degeneracy, corruption, and cruelty, one could almost interchange Justinian/Belasarius for the Democrats/tech lords and not know there was a change at all (other than time or place specific things such as the reconquest of italy). Fascinating read for any student of history.
14 people found this helpful
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely edited Volume, was not the best History
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2013
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The work was edited nicely, but the work itself was not the best. It was too opinionated to be taken very seriously, and almost seemed like a work of comedy at points. Would recommend reading Procopius' History of the Wars instead to get a better idea of the age of Justinian.
3 people found this helpful
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GPO
3.0 out of 5 stars "Unscholarly" Account of Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius and his wife.
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
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Every time I read a book written centuries ago (almost 15 in this case), I have a sense of utmost respect for the author who wrote something that managed to survive for so long, and I'm eager to see the wisdom the author put in writing. Starting with those expectations, reading this book was quite a bitter experience.

If you read it with a skeptical eye, it can be summarized as gossip and slander. When you look at the achievements of the Byzantine Empire during Justinian's rule, you will find a ruler who tried to restore quite successfully part of the western empire. He did this with the aid of his capable general Belisarius, whose feats are truly impressive. How could it be that Belisarius was only a mediocre character, totally dominated by his wife? How could Justinian and Theodora be that bloodthirsty and greedy as to kill people in the tens of thousands and steal/cheat the wealth of almost every citizen of the empire, without suffering a fatal conspiracy?

On the other hand, if you read this with an open mind, it is possible that some of the traits described in the book were real, only that they were extremely exaggerated. Belisarius could well have been a great general in the field, but excessively devout to his wife. Justinian could have been greedy and extravagant, while being able to handle imperial affairs well enough, while Theodora very well could have been of low origins and have meddled in imperial affairs beyond the acceptable boundaries.

There are theories that state that this book may not have been written by Procopius at all, but there's no reason to believe he couldn't have been its author. It doesn't seem to be an objective account of the real characters he described, but more of a vengeance towards people who may have wronged him at some point. As such, it's difficult for me to take much of its content seriously.

The S&B edition is quite rustic, but surprisingly free of typos or other errors.
11 people found this helpful
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Heather Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read on a True(?) Accounting
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2019
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Boy, that Procopius was a bad boy! Spying on his Emperor like that. Talking bad about his wife. There is no way to know how much of this is true and how much was exaggerated, but it was a scintillating read from beginning to end!
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

J C PARKIN
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2023
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Procopius tells the real story of Justinian and Theodora and stays alive!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well translated
Reviewed in Sweden on April 14, 2023
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I really enjoyed this translation
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars very noble
Reviewed in India on September 23, 2017
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very noble
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Patrick Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Procopius Packs A Big Punch!
Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2011
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This is a no holds barred review, of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theadora. Procopius wants to make it very clear, that both Justinian and Theadora are unremittingly disgusting characters. Procopius lists all sorts of examples. Theadora is a former prostitute with an insatiable sex drive. She is a amoral master manipulator in the court of Constantinople.
Justinian turns the entire Eastern Empire, into to his personal cash producing domain.

The stories of moral decay, also help explain the collapse of the great Roman Empire. The economy, the army, the church, you name it, they all get crushed under Justinian`s rule. In modern times, there are many examples of third world countries that are kleptocracies. It is a shame, that so many people have had to endure such terrible conditions. The reader will also quickly realize, how important it is to live under the rule of law. A government ruler with unlimited power, can so easily turn into a despotic nightmare.

This is very fun and entertaining read! Please enjoy.
One person found this helpful
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AD
5.0 out of 5 stars Short Read, Hilarious, Insightful - Despite poor publishing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2018
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As a massive fan of the early Byzantine period, this book was a necessity on my reading list. The text is also very short and takes about 6-8 hrs of reading to complete, which should make it very attractive to those who are interested in first-hand texts but don't have time to trudge through all eight volumes of "The Wars" or other such works.

While most of what Procopius stipulates is likely untrue or highly exaggerated, the understanding gained of Byzantine culture (such as the large role character assassination played in politics) is highly valuable when judging figures of that time or other primary sources from the eastern empire. For example, similar hyperbole is also present in works dated half a century later such as the Alexiad.

A note on the binding/publishing: I purchased the Kissinger Legacy Reprint hardcover version and it was riddled with spelling mistakes and misprints. While reading I often had to cross-reference between jumbled Kissinger passages and the free online version of the text. I would therefore highly recommend a different publisher or simply read the free online text. I also found the online text less prone to confusing, and honestly unnecessary, metaphors than the Kissinger publication, so if clarity is what is sought I would also recommend that version to be the first port of call.
10 people found this helpful
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