Michael Edward Stewart (honorary Research Fellow, University of Queensland) researches issues of culture, gender, and identity in Late Antiquity. He is the author of Masculinity, Identity, and the Rhetoric of Power Politics in the Age of Justinian (Amsterdam University Press, 2020).

"Michael Stewart’s book is a meticulous study of the works of Prokopios of Caesarea (Wars, Buildings, Secret History) and their historical context: the Roman world of the sixth century. [...] Stewart’s book is a welcome addition to the existing literature. It will benefit those who study Prokopios and the sixth century, as well as being of particular interest to students of gender studies."- Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, Speculum 97/1 (January 2022) “Stewart’s book offers a rich, learned, and remarkably accessible account of the role played by sixth-century gender norms in [Procopius’s] De bellis…[T]his book will undoubtedly be a must-read for students of one of Late Antiquity’s most closely scrutinized authors.” - Studies in Late Antiquity, Spring 2023 "The book of M. E. Stewart is an essential contribution for the study of Procopius' work, as he gives a different perspective to the analysis of Byzantine historiography, and, by extension, for the research field of "Gender Studies"" - George Kadaras, Byzantina Symmeikta 31 (2021) [author's translation] "This volume by Michael Edward Stewart is not just another monograph on Procopius, the renowned Byzantine historian. [...] Stewart uses gendered and literary approaches to understanding Procopius’ persona, his writings, and his world, in successful ways, and this monograph will open new and interesting avenues for the analysis of Byzantine historiography."- Ecaterina Lung, University of Bucharest, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 02/49 (2021)

• Acknowledgements A Note on Translations, Sources, and Names Preface I Finding Procopius 1. Introduction 2. Will the Real Procopius Please Stand Up Procopius' Oeuvre Historiographical Debates A Christian Procopius Dates Cistern or Safety Net? II The Contest 3. The Danger of the Soft Life Rhetoric and Reality A Soft Empire Vita Militaris Romans and Goths Aeneas' Ship 4. Courage, Fear, and Generalship in the Vandal War Fifth-century Roman Failures The Launch Tricamarum 5. Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Eunuchs in a Changing World The Blame Game Solomon Narses: The Manly Eunuch Martial Manliness Draining Belisarius' andreia Brave New World III Chaos Encroaching 6. Killing Justinian Artabanes: Slayer of Tyrants Theodora Steps In The Plot 7. Totila: Hero or Trope? Order out of Chaos Standing up to Totila Last Dance Conclusion: All Quiet on the Italian Front Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Index Chronology