Priscus of Panius

Origin

Very scarce information has come to us about the life of the historian. The main milestones of the life and work of Priscus can be recreated on the basis of fragments of his works. Also, some facts about the activities of the historian are provided by the Court . Insignificant information about the author’s biography can be obtained from the works of early medieval historians who used fragments from the works of Priscus.

Prisk was born in the city of Panion ( Greek Πάνιον , lat. Panium ), from the name of which, according to the custom of that time, received the nickname "Panius". Researchers suggest that Panion was in Thrace , since Byzantine historians - John Malala and later Theophanes - called Priscus the Thracian. Most likely Panion is a small town located on the northern shore of the Sea of ​​Marmara , near the city of Heracles .

Priscus came from a wealthy family who gave him an excellent philosophical and rhetorical education. Evidence of his deep knowledge are the works written by him, the style and content of which indicate their belonging to the pen of an exquisite and erudite author. No wonder the Court indicated his honorary titles of rhetorician and sophist ^[1] .

Public Service

After completing his studies at the school of rhetoric of Constantinople, Priscus entered the public service. He was a secretary under Maximinus , who held high posts under the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Theodosius II .

Embassy to the King of the Huns

Prisk's abilities were noticed, and in 448, Maximin was instructed to head the Byzantine embassy to the leader of the Huns Attila , which included Priscus. The purpose of the embassy, ​​according to Prisk, was the conclusion of an agreement on peace and friendship, as well as the confirmation of previous agreements on fairs, payments and defectors. At the same time, the embassy had another goal. The eunuch Chrysaphius, “seduced by the Romance riches” of the Hun of Edekon , Attila's entourage, persuaded him to kill his leader, but he, either out of cowardice or out of loyalty, revealed the plan to the leader ^[2] .

The information of Priscus about the country of the Huns, about their customs, language, culture and lifestyle is unique. The historian writes a lot about the Hunnic hierarchy, about relations with conquered tribes, and also compares the Hunnic and Byzantine society. This comparison is most clearly expressed in the conversation of Priscus with a captive Greek, who was dressed in a rich Scythian robe and preferred a barbaric way of life to the Greek. The Greek reproaches the Byzantine government for the poor defense of the empire, for the burdensome taxes and injustices of the judges for the poor. A criticism of the social system of Byzantium, embedded in the mouth of the Greek deserter, perfectly demonstrates the political views of Priscus himself ^[3] .

Priscus of Panius left the most vivid, retired from nature, a true portrait of the king of the Huns of Attila. Priscus describes him as a wise, formidable ruler who leads an active international policy. Despite the power of his state, he acts cautiously and refrains from openly breaking off relations with Byzantium.

Researchers cannot accurately indicate the position of Attila’s headquarters, as fragments devoted to the path taken by the embassy are not very accurate. Despite this, we can say that it is located somewhere on the territory of modern Hungary , near the Hungarian Pusta .

Of great value are the information Prisca on the socio-economic situation of the Huns. He writes that they are not engaged in agriculture, but, “like wolves” seize food from the tribes subject to them. A large role is played by horse breeding. According to Prisk, the Huns are actively trading with the Byzantines, organize fairs.

Thus, the writings of Priscus of Panius are one of the most important sources about the era of the Great Migration of Peoples and are included in the Golden Fund of “Hunology”.

Embassy in Rome

The change of emperor on the Byzantine throne did not interfere with the career of Priscus. Already at the beginning of the reign of Marcian in 450, Priscus was in Rome , where he held secret negotiations with the son of the Frankish king Childeric I , presumably in order to prevent the conclusion of a separate agreement between Rome and the Frankish kingdom . The reason for the conclusion of the contract was the demise of the Frankish sovereign and a dispute between sons for supremacy: the eldest decided to keep an alliance with Attila, the younger - with the powerful Western commander Aetius Flavius ^[4] .

Obviously, this diplomatic mission was not successful, and part of the Frankish tribe sided with the Romans a year later, in the battle on the Catalunian fields .

Missions in the Eastern Provinces of the Empire

In 452, Maximin was instructed to regulate the relations of the empire with nomadic Arab and Nubian tribes. Priscus was again not forgotten by his patron and went to the East with him. In Damascus, the ambassadors witnessed the peace talks of the Byzantine commander Ardavour , of Gothic descent, with the ambassadors of the Saracens.

Further, Maximin and Priscus went to Egypt. In the city of Thebaid, they conducted successful peace negotiations with the tribes of the Nubians and Wlemmies, who were recently conquered by the Romans. Maximin concluded a peace treaty with the barbarians for a hundred years, the terms of which were beneficial to the empire. However, in 453 , shortly after the conclusion of the contract, Maximin fell ill and dies. The nomads, learning about the death of the ambassador, violated the treaty and again began the war against the empire.

In the year of the death of Maximin, Priscus goes to Alexandria, carrying out some kind of government assignment. These were difficult times for the city. Priscus was in the thick of popular unrest associated with the struggle of the Monophysites and the Orthodox. The diplomat also took part in the struggle, naturally, on the side of the government.

In the service of Euthymius

After the death of Maximin, Priscus joined the service as an assessor to the influential nobleman Euthymius - “Master of Offices under the Emperor Marcian”. “Glorious in reason and power of word, Euthymius, Prisk writes,“ ruled the affairs of state under Marcian and was its leader in many useful endeavors. He took Priscus the writer as a participant in the concerns of the board. ” Perhaps Priscus took part in some of the negotiations of Euphemia as an adviser, but we have no direct indications of this ^[5] .

According to the Byzantine vocabulary of the X century, the Court, the pen of Prisk belongs to the "Byzantine history and acts of Attila in eight books." All volumes of this work of Prisca have not reached us, however, we can still establish the chronological scope and, in part, the series of events described by Priscus. Later historians who used the work of Priscus of Panius, such as Evagrius , Jordan , Konstantin Bagryanorodny, will prove indispensable here. Thus, Priscus began the story with the events of 411, with which Zosim completed his work, and brought them to 472 ^[6]

Russian translations:

• Kozlov A. S. “Byzantine history” of Priscus of Panius as a monument to the classic historical narrative // Document. Archive. Story. Modernity. - 2015 .-- S. 152-166.
• The Roman Embassy to Attila. Excerpt from Op. Prisca. / Per. S. Destunis. St. Petersburg, 1842.52 p.
• Tales of Priscus of Panius . / Per. G. S. Destunis . SPb., 1860 . 112 pages (reprint from: Scientific notes of the Second Division of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Book 7, issue 1. St. Petersburg, 1861. P. 408-457)
• Priscus of Panius. Gothic story . // Bulletin of Ancient History, No. 4. 1948. Translation by V. V. Latyshev.
• Priscus of Panius . Tales / Transl. G. S. Destunis // In the book: Theophanes the Byzantine . Chronicle from Diocletian to the kings of Michael and his son Theophylact. Priscus of Panius. Tales / Ed. sub. A.I. Tsepkov. - Ryazan, Alexandria, 2005. - (Byzantine Historical Library). - ISBN 5-94460-024-1 . - S. 435-534.