PROCO'PIUS (bat., from /:upiosl. An eminent Byzantine historian. He was born at Clcsareos in Palestine, about the be ginning of the sixth century. went to Constanti nople when still a young man. and acquired there so high a reputation as a professor of rhetoric that Belisarins, in 527. appointed hint his private secretary. Procopius accompanied the great war rior in all his important campaigns in Asia, Africa. and Italy. and appears to have displayed remarkable practical is well as literary talent, fur we find him placed at the head both of the commissariat department and of the Byzantine navy. LIe returned to Constantinople shortly before 542, was highly honored by Justinian, and appointed prefect of the metropolis iu 562. His death occurred, it is thousffit, about three years later. Procopius's principal works (all in Greek) are his Historiw, in eight books (two on the Persian wars from 40S' to 5.53; two on the
wars with the Vandals, from 395 to 545; four on the Gothic wars, going down to 553) : Ctismata, or six books on the buildings executed or restored Uy Justinian; and A needota. or Historia .I rearm !which some have been unwilling to attribute to Procopins), a sort of chronigue of the Court of Justinian. The most valuable of these productions is the first. Proeopins is the principal authority for the.reign of Justinian. His style is pure. vigorous. and flexible. The best edition of his complete works is that by Din lorf (3 vols., Bonn, 1833-3S 1 . There is an early Eng lish translation of the Ifistoria' by Holcroft (London, 16531. The section on the Gothic wars has been edited with an Italian translation by Coinparetti (3 vols., Rome, 189598).