The characterization of the usurper Procopius in Themistius: Commentary on or. 7.90a-c

Abstract

Shortly after Procopius’s usurpation, who in 365 AD seized control of Constantinople and its surrounding regions, Themistius delivered a speech titled Περὶ τῶν ἠτυχηκότων ἐπὶ Οὐάλεντος, in which he strongly condemned the usurper. The author provided a terrible physical and character description, and to emphasize this, he cited historical and anecdotal material from the classical tradition. Central to this description is 7.90a-c, a passage in which Themistius considers Procopius to be worse than four Greek figures from the past: Φάλαρις, Ἀριστόμαχος, Ἀπολλόδωρος, and Διονύσιος. While critics agree that Διονύσιος and Φάλαρις are Dionysius I of Syracuse and Phalaris of Agrigento, the identities of Ἀριστόμαχος and Ἀπολλόδωρος have been variably interpreted by scholars. Here, we propose identifying them with Apollodorus, the tyrant of Cassandreia (ca 279-276 BC), and with the last of the Argive tyrants from the 3rd century BC, named Aristomachus, called Aristomachus ‘the Younger’ by Plutarch (Arat. 29.6).