On Buildings (Unknown) - Page 27

Whether the so-called Zacharias (p. 104 ff.) also used Eustathius, or Procopius (I 30 ff. and I 41, 16) used Zacharias (104 ff. and 113, 9), cannot be determined.

In several places, Nicephorus and Theophanes report almost the same things about the Persians as Procopius does in the preface of the first book of his histories, though they rarely use the same words (cf. Niceph. XIV 1, Theoph. I 80, 8, Proc. I 7, 17, Niceph. XVI 36, Theoph. I 122, 1, Proc. I 10, 9, Niceph. XVI 36, Theoph. I 123, 14, Proc. I 20, 15 and 27, 7). It is most probable that these flowed from Eustathius, because Euagrius and Nicephorus seem to have taken their Persian matters from Eustathius, whom they twice say composed them most elegantly (cf. Euagrius III 37 (Niceph. XVI 37), I 19 (Niceph. XIV 57)). However, Theophanes (I 123, 1-13) transcribed Procopius; these things are not found in the history of Nicephorus.

What Procopius (I 22, 3 ff.) narrates about the Castle of Oblivion original: "Castello quod dicitur Oblivionis", Faustus of Byzantium reports the same (p. 130 ff.). But whether Procopius used Faustus or the same source as Faustus cannot be judged (cf. H. Gelzer in: Ber. d. k. sächs. Ges. d. Wiss. 1895, p. 115). From the fact that Procopius says "the history of the Armenians says" (I 22, 2) or "the writing of the Armenians says" (I 27, 3), it is by no means permitted to infer that Procopius read the history of the Armenians. I will demonstrate below that he praises a passage of Aeschylus, which he had known from Arrian.

It remains for me to say a few things about the preface of the eighth book. Auler (p. 10) conjectured that from what Procopius discusses in this place about Lazica, it follows that he stayed in that land between the years 550 and 553. But Procopius did not depict any region in such a way that you would think he had seen what he describes. On the contrary, he tells this fable about the Caucasus (II 496, 5): "This mountain, the Caucasus, rises to such a height that neither rains nor snows ever touch its summits. For it happens that they are higher than all the clouds." Since Mount Strobilus, which is visible from the Euxine Pontus original: "Ponto Euxino" (cf. Arrian. Peripl. 11, 5), is covered with snow even today, you would conclude that Procopius [knew] the highest peaks...