Information about Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus (Greek Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης), ca. 90 BC– ca. 27 BC, was a Greek historian, believed to have been born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira).^[1]

Work

Diodorus' universal history, which he named Bibliotheca historica ("Historical Library"), consisted of forty books, which were divided into three sections. The first six books are geographical in theme, and describe the history and culture of Egypt (book I), of Mesopotamia, India, Scythia, and Arabia (II), of North Africa (III), and of Greece and Europe (IV - VI). In the next section (books VII - XVII), he recounts the history of the World starting with the Trojan War, down to the death of Alexander the Great. The last section (books XVII to the end) concerns the historical events from the successors of Alexander down to either 60 BC or the beginning of Caesar's Gallic War in 45 BC. (The end has been lost, so it is unclear whether Diodorus reached the beginning of the Gallic War as he promised at the beginning of his work or, as evidence suggests, old and tired from his labors he stopped short at 60 BC.) He selected the name "Bibliotheca" in acknowledgement that he was assembling a composite work from many sources. The authors he drew from, who have been identified, include: Hecataeus of Abdera, Ctesias of Cnidus, Ephorus, Theopompus, Hieronymus of Cardia, Duris of Samos, Diyllus, Philistus, Timaeus, Polybius and Posidonius.

Chronology

Jerome writes that Diodorus flourished in 49 BC (Chronica, s.a. Abraham 1968); this date is supported by Diodorus' own statements. The earliest date Diodorus mentions is his visit to Egypt in the 180th Olympiad (between 60 and 56 BC). This visit was marked by his witnessing an angry mob demand the death of a Roman citizen who had accidentally killed a cat, an animal sacred to the ancient Egyptians (Bibliotheca historica 1.41, 1.83). The latest event Diodorus mentions is Octavian's vengeance on the city of Tauromenium, whose refusal to help him led to Octavian's naval defeat nearby in 36 BC (16.7). Diodorus shows no knowledge that Egypt became a Roman province -- which transpired in 30 BC -- so presumably he published his completed work before that event. Diodorus asserts that he devoted thirty years to the composition of his history, and that he undertook a number of dangerous journeys through Europe and Asia in prosecution of his historical researches. Modern critics have called this claim into question, noting several surprising mistakes that an eye-witness would not be expected to have made.

His English translator, C.H. Oldfather, remarks on the "striking coincidence" that one of only two Greek inscriptions known to Diodorus from Agyrium (I.G. XIV, 588) is the tombstone of one "Diodorus, the son of Apollonius".

Critical reception

Diodorus' liberal use of earlier historians underlies the harsh opinion of the author of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article on Bibliotheca historica :

The faults of Diodorus arise partly from the nature of the undertaking, and the awkward form of annals into which he has thrown the historical portion of his narrative. He shows none of the critical faculties of the historian, merely setting down a number of unconnected details. His narrative contains frequent repetitions and contradictions, is without colouring, and monotonous; and his simple diction, which stands intermediate between pure Attic and the colloquial Greek of his time, enables us to detect in the narrative the undigested fragments of the materials which he employed.

As damaging as this sounds other more contemporary classical scholars are likely to go even further. Diodorus has become infamous particularly for adapting his tales ad maiorem Graecorum gloriam, leading one prominent author to refer to him as one of the "two most accomplished liars of antiquity"^[2](the other being Ctesias.)

Far more sympathetic is the estimate of C.H. Oldfather, who wrote in the introduction to his translation of Diodorus:

While characteristics such as these exclude Diodorus from a place among the abler historians of the ancient world, there is every reason to believe that he used the best sources and that he reproduced them faithfully. His First Book, which deals almost exclusively with Egypt, is the fullest literary account of the history and customs of that country after Herodotus. Books II-V cover a wide range, and because of their inclusion of much mythological material are of much less value. In the period from 480 to 301 BC, which he treats in annalistic fashion and in which his main source was the Universal History of Ephorus, his importance varies according as he is the sole continuous source, or again as he is paralleled by superior writers. To the fifty years from 480 to 430 BC Thucydides devotes only a little more than thirty chapters; Diodorus covers it more fully (11.37-12.38) and his is the only consecutive literary account for the chronology of the period. ... For the years 362-302 BC Diodorus is again the only consecutive literary account, and ... Diodorus offers the only chronological survey of the period of Philip, and supplements the writers mentioned and contemporary sources in many matters. For the period of the Successors to Alexander, 323-302 BC (Books XVIII-XX), he is the chief literary authority and his history of this period assumes, therefore, an importance which it does not possess for the other years.

Diodorus is mentioned briefly in Pliny the Elder as being singular among the Greek historians for the simple manner in which he named his work.^[3]

Fragmentary nature

As indicated, Diodorus' immense work has not survived intact: we have the first five books and books 10 through 20. The rest exists only in fragments preserved in Photius and the excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus.

The editio princeps of Diodorus was a Latin translation of the first five books by Poggio Bracciolini at Bologna in 1472. The first printing of the Greek original (at Basel in 1535) contained only books 16-20, and was the work of Vincentius Opsopoeus. It was not until 1559 that all of the surviving books, and surviving fragments of books 21 to the end were published by H. Stephanus at Geneva.

Notes

1. ^ Buckley, p6
2. ^ Lloyd, p 47
3. ^ Pliny the Elder, Natural History, the Preface

References

Diodorus Siculus. Library of History. Translated by Oldfather, C. H. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press, 1935.
Alan B. Lloyd, Herodotus Book II, Introduction, Leiden, E.J.Brill, 1975.
Terry Buckley, Aspects of Greek History London, 1996.

This article or section indiscriminately cites its .
Please help [ improve this article] by keeping only reliable sources that directly support claims in the article. (, )
Wikipedia is not a . This article has been tagged since June 2007.

External links

Diodorus of Sicily by Jona Lendering
Diodorus Siculus translated by C.H. Oldfather, English translation, Greek text, Books 9 - 17 (text)
Diodorus Siculus translated by C.H. Oldfather, English translation, Book 4 (text)
Diodorus Siculus translated by G. Booth (1814) Complete book (scanned by Google)
The manuscripts of Diodorus Siculus by Roger Pearse

Greek}}}
Writing system: Greek alphabet
Official status
Official language of: Greece
Cyprus
European Union
recognised as minority language in parts of:
European Union
Italy
Turkey
Regulated by:
..... Click the link for more information.

1st century BC - 1st century
120s BC 110s BC 100s BC - 90s BC - 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC
93 BC 92 BC 91 BC - 90 BC - 89 BC 88 BC 87 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
-
..... Click the link for more information.

1st century BC - 1st century
50s BC 40s BC 30s BC - 20s BC - 10s BC 0s BC 0s
30 BC 29 BC 28 BC - 27 BC - 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
-

..... Click the link for more information.

The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. 750 BC^[1] (the archaic period) to 146 BC (the Roman conquest). It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western Civilization.
..... Click the link for more information.

historian is an individual who studies history and who writes on history.^[1] The person may be an authority (or expert) over history,<ref name="wordnetprinceton" /> but this is not a requirement.
..... Click the link for more information.

Country Italy
Region Sicily
Province Enna (EN)
Mayor Rosario Sanfilippo (since May 25, 2003)

Area km
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)
- Density /km

..... Click the link for more information.

Regione Autonoma Siciliana

Map highlighting the location of Sicilia in Italy

Capital Palermo
President Salvatore Cuffaro
(UDC-CdL)
Provinces Agrigento
Caltanissetta
Catania
Enna
..... Click the link for more information.

Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Judeo-Christian wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of mankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.
..... Click the link for more information.

Mesopotamia was a cradle of civilization geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq. Sumer in southern Mesopotamia is commonly regarded as the world's earliest civilization.
..... Click the link for more information.

This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
..... Click the link for more information.

Scythia (Greek Σκυθία Skuthia) was the area in Eurasia inhabited by the Scythians, from the 8th century BC to the 2nd century AD.
..... Click the link for more information.

Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of
..... Click the link for more information.

Trojan War was waged, according to Greek mythology, against the city of Troy by the armies of the Achaeans (Mycenaean Greeks), after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta.
..... Click the link for more information.

Alexander III, the Great
Basileus of Macedon, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Shah of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt

Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. From Alexander Mosaic, from Pompeii, Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.
..... Click the link for more information.

Diadochi, the plural of Diadochus, is the common Latin form of the Greek Διάδοχοι, transcripted Diadokhoi, which in general means "successors", such that the neoplatonic refounders of Plato's Academy in Late Antiquity
..... Click the link for more information.

Gaius Julius Caesar
Dictator of the Roman Republic

Reign October, 49 BC–March 15, 44 BC
Full name Gaius Julius Caesar
Born 12 July 100 BC - 102 BC
Rome, Roman Republic
Died 15 March 44 BC (aged 57)
..... Click the link for more information.

1st century BC - 1st century
70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC
48 BC 47 BC 46 BC - 45 BC - 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
-
..... Click the link for more information.

See Hecataeus of Miletus for the earlier historian.

Hecataeus of Abdera (or of Teos) was a Greek historian and Sceptic philosopher who flourished in the 4th century BC.

Diogenes Laertius (ix.
..... Click the link for more information.

Ctesias of Cnidus (in Caria) (Greek Κτησίας), was a Greek physician and historian, who flourished in the 4th century BC.
..... Click the link for more information.

Ephorus (Ancient Greek: Ἔφορος, c. 400-330 BC), of Cyme in Aeolia, in Asia Minor, was a Greek historian.
..... Click the link for more information.

Theopompus, a Greek historian and rhetorician, was born at Chios about 380 BC.

In early youth he seems to have spent some time at Athens, along with his father, who had been exiled on account of his Laconian sympathies.
..... Click the link for more information.

Hieronymus of Cardia, Greek general and historian, contemporary of Alexander the Great (354-250 BC)

After the death of the king he followed the fortunes of his friend and fellow-countryman Eumenes.
..... Click the link for more information.

Duris of Samos, Greek historian, according to his own account a descendant of Alcibiades, was born about 340 BC. He must have been born and passed his early years in exile, since from 352 to 324 Samos was occupied by Athenian cleruchs
..... Click the link for more information.

Diyllus, probably the son of Phanodemus the Atthidographer (a chronicler of the local history of Athens and Attica), wrote a universal history of the years 357–297 BC. Only fragments of his work survive.
..... Click the link for more information.

Philistus, (c. 432 BC - 356 BC) son of Archomenidas, was Greek historian of Sicily. Philistus was born at Syracuse about the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. He was a faithful supporter of the elder Dionysius, and commander of the citadel.
..... Click the link for more information.

Timaeus (Honour) (or Timæus) is a name that appears in several ancient Greek sources:

Timaeus (dialogue), a Socratic dialogue by Plato
Timaeus of Locri, the 5th-century Pythagorean philosopher, appearing in Plato's s

..... Click the link for more information.

Polybius (ca. 203–120 BC, Greek Πολύβιος) was a Greek historian of the Mediterranean world famous for his book called The Histories or The Rise of the Roman Empire,
..... Click the link for more information.

Posidonius (Greek: Ποσειδώνιος / Poseidonios) "of Apameia" (ὁ Απαμεύς) or "of Rhodes" (ὁ Ρόδιος) (ca.
..... Click the link for more information.

Jerome (ca. 347 – September 30, 420; Greek: Ευσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ιερώνυμος
..... Click the link for more information.

1st century BC - 1st century
70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC
52 BC 51 BC 50 BC - 49 BC - 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
-
..... Click the link for more information.