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Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/445

Context

Procopius, later followed by his student Choricius, was a leading figure in the rhetorical flowering at Late Antique Gaza. During his career spanning the late 5th to early 6th centuries, he was a celebrated teacher and orator whose extant writings include rhetorical works, letters, and biblical exegesis. In 502 (spring?) during a festival at Gaza, Procopius delivered a lavish public speech in praise of the emperor in the East, Anastasius I, highlighting his accomplisments of securing peace at the borders, suppressing unrest, monetary reforms, and infrastructural renovation. In the following passage, the panegyrist observes how Anastasius rehabilitated the harborworks at Caesarea, which had collapsed over time and thus harmed seaborn traffic. Priscian, of Caesarea in North Africa, echoed Procopius’ praise for Anastasius roughly one decade later, but did not mention Caesarea (Praise for the Emperor Anastasius 180-192); so also 6th-century historians recorded the emperor’s widespread investment in building projects (John Malalas, Chronicle 16.21; John the Lydian, The Rulers of the Roman State 3.47.2).

Text

Πάλιν τὰ καθ’ ἡμᾶς. τοῦ Καίσαρος πόλιν ἐπώνυμον, ἀπειρηκότος αὐτῇ τοῦ λιμένος τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀπειλὴν θαλάττης ἠνεῳγμένου καὶ μηκέτι σῴζοντος τὴν κατηγορίαν τοῖς ἔργοις, ἀλλ’ ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς τύχης ψιλὸν τοὔνομα κεκτημένου, οὐ περιεῖδες δεομένην καὶ θρηνοῦσαν ἀεὶ τὰς ὁλκάδας, αἳ πολλάκις διαφυγοῦσαι τὸ πέλαγος ἐν τῷ λιμένι τὴν ναυαγίαν ὑπέμειναν, καὶ οἱ δεόμενοι τῶν φορτίων ἐλεεινότερον εἶχον τὸ πάθος· διαφθειρόμενα γὰρ ἑώρων, ὧν ἐν χρείᾳ τυγχάνοντες ἀνόνητον εἶχον τὴν θέαν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ σοῦ βουληθέντος νεάζει καὶ θαρσοῦσα δέχεται τὰς ναῦς καὶ πλήρης τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἡ πόλις.1

Textual Note

Ed. Kempen 1918 with ref. to Chavout 1986 and Amato and Ventrella 2010

Translation

Back to our region. As for the eponymous city of Caesar—its harbor had deteriorated with time and it was opened up to every threat from the sea, and its structures no longer fit the classification (of harbor) but kept merely the name from its success in earlier times—you (Anastasius) did not overlook (Caesarea) in its time of need and its constant mourning over the merchant ships which, in seeking refuge from the sea, so often succumbed to shipwreck, and those who lacked their cargo met with more wretched suffering: they saw those wares they were acquiring for use in a state of destruction, a spectacle of uselessness. But now, in accordance with your will, the city is renewed, it welcomes ships without fear, and it is full of the goods that it needs.2

Note

Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Cavout 1986 and Amato and Ventrella 2010

Works Cited

  • 1 Procopius of Gaza, Procopii Gazaei in imperatorem Anastasium Panegyricus, ed. Carl Kempen (Bonn: Typis C. Georgi Typographi Academici, 1918), ch: 19, p: 13.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 2 Procopius of Gaza and Priscian of Caesarea, Procope de Gaza, Priscien de Césarée: Panégyriques de l’empereur Anastase Ier, ed. Alain Chavout, Antiquitas, 1.35 (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt, 1986), p: 84.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record

Additional Bibliography

  • Procopius of Gaza, Rose di Gaza: gli scritti retorico-sofistici e le Epistole di Procopio di Gaza, ed. Eugenio Amato, Frederica Ciccolella, and Gianluca Ventrella (Alessandria: Edizioni dell’Orso, 2010), p: 258-261.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • Robert L Hohlfelder, Anastasius I, Mud, and Foraminifera: Conflicting Views of Caesarea Maritima’s Harbor in Late Antiquity, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 317 (2000): 41–62, p: 44-47.Link to Zotero Bibliographic RecordLink to Worldcat Bibliographic recordLink to Worldcat Bibliographic record
  • John Peter Oleson et al., The Caesarea Ancient Harbor Excavation Project (CAHEP): Preliminary Report on the 1980-1983 Seasons, Journal of Field Archaeology 11, no. 3 (1984): 281–305, p: 284.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/445.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/445.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Procopius of Gaza, Panegyric to the Emperor Anastasius 19”

Additional Credit:

  • TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
  • URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife
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