Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily (Greek: Διόδωρος, translit.Diódōros; fl. 1st century BC), was an ancient Greekhistorian. He is known for writing the monumental universal historyBibliotheca historica, in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact,[1] between 60 and 30 BC. The history is arranged in three parts. The first covers mythic history up to the destruction of Troy, arranged geographically, describing regions around the world from Egypt, India and Arabia to Europe. The second covers the time from the Trojan War to the death of Alexander the Great. The third covers the period to about 60 BC. Bibliotheca, meaning 'library', acknowledges that he was drawing on the work of many other authors.
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus as depicted in a 19th-century fresco
According to his own work, he was born in Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira).[2] With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about his life and doings beyond his written works. Only Jerome, in his Chronicon under the "year of Abraham 1968" (49 BC), writes, "Diodorus of Sicily, a writer of Greek history, became illustrious". However, his English translator, Charles Henry Oldfather, remarks on the "striking coincidence"[3] that one of only two known Greek inscriptions from Agyrium (Inscriptiones Graecae XIV, 588) is the tombstone of one "Diodorus, the son of Apollonius".[4]
Diodorus' universal history, which he named Bibliotheca historica (Greek: Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, "Historical Library"), was immense and consisted of 40 books, of which 1–5 and 11–20 survive:[5] fragments of the lost books are preserved in Photius and the Excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus.
It was divided into three sections. The first six books treated the mythic history of the non-Hellenic and Hellenic tribes to the destruction of Troy and are geographical in theme, and describe the history and culture of Ancient 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 from 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 Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. (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 labours he stopped short at 60 BC.) He selected the name "Bibliotheca" in acknowledgment that he was assembling a composite work from many sources. Identified authors on whose works he drew include Hecataeus of Abdera, Ctesias of Cnidus, Ephorus, Theopompus, Hieronymus of Cardia, Duris of Samos, Diyllus, Philistus, Timaeus, Polybius, and Posidonius.
^Stronk, Jan P. (2010). Ctesias' Persian History: Introduction, text, and translation by Ctesias. p. 60.
^"Diodorus Siculus". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 April 2018.
General and cited references
Ambaglio, Dino; Landucci Gattinoni, Franca; Bravi, Luigi (2008). Diodoro Siculo: Biblioteca storica: commento storico: introduzione generale. Storia. Ricerche (in Italian). Milano: V&P. pp. x, 145. ISBN9788834315842.
Buckley, Terry (1996). Aspects of Greek History 750-323 BC: A Source-based Approach. London: Routledge. ISBN0-415-09958-7.
Diodorus Siculus (1935). Library of History: Loeb Classical Library. Translated by Oldfather, C. H. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press.
Diodorus Siculus; H. Valesius; I. Rhodomannus; F. Ursinus (1814). The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian in Fifteen Books to which are added the Fragments of Diodorus. Translated by G. Booth. London: J. Davis – via Google Books.
Diodori Siculi (1798). Peter Wesseling; L. Rhodoman; G. Heyn; N. Eyring (eds.). Bibliothecae Historicae Libri Qui Supersunt: Nova Editio (in Ancient Greek and Latin). Argentorati: Societas Bipontina – via Internet Archive.
Usher, Stephen (1969). The Historians of Greece and Rome. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN0-2410-1527-8.
Further reading
Braithwaite-Westoby, Kara. "Diodorus and the Alleged Revolts of 374–373 BCE," Classical Philology 115, no. 2 (April 2020): 265–270.
Clarke, Katherine. 1999. "Universal perspectives in Historiography." In The Limits of Historiography: Genre and Narrative in Ancient Historical Texts. Edited by Christina Shuttleworth Kraus, 249–279. Mnemosyne. Supplementum 191. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
Hammond, Nicholas G. L. 1998. "Portents, Prophecies, and Dreams in Diodorus' Books 14–17." Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 39.4: 407–428.
Hau, Lisa Irene, Alexander Meeus, and Brian Sheridan (eds.). 2018. Diodoros of Sicily: Historiographical Theory and Practice in the Bibliotheke. Peeters: Leuven.
McQueen, Earl I. 1995. Diodorus Siculus. The Reign of Philip II: The Greek and Macedonian Narrative from Book XVI. A Companion. London: Bristol Classical Press.
Muntz, Charles E. 2017. Diodorus Siculus and the World of the Late Roman Republic. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
Pfuntner, Laura. 2015. "Reading Diodorus through Photius: The Case of the Sicilian Slave Revolts." Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 55.1: 256–272.
Rubincam, Catherine. 1987. "The Organization and Composition of Diodorus' Bibliotheke." Échos du monde classique (= Classical views) 31:313–328.
Sacks, Kenneth S. 1990. Diodorus Siculus and the First Century. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.
Sinclair, Robert K. 1963. "Diodorus Siculus and the Writing of History." Proceedings of the African Classical Association 6:36–45.
Stronk, Jan P. 2017. Semiramis' Legacy. The History of Persia According to Diodorus of Sicily. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ. Press.
Sulimani, Iris. 2008. "Diodorus' Source-Citations: A Turn in the Attitude of Ancient Authors Towards their Predecessors?" Athenaeum 96.2: 535–567.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diodorus Siculus.
Wikisource has original works by or about: Diodorus Siculus
Wikiquote has quotations related to Diodorus Siculus.
Greek original works
Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article: Ιστορική Βιβλιοθήκη
Diodorus Siculus. "Library" (in Ancient Greek). Perseus Digital Library. Books 1–5 only. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
"The Library of History" (in Ancient Greek). LacusCurtius. Books 6–10 only. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
Diodorus Siculus. "Library" (in Ancient Greek). Perseus Digital Library. Books 9–17 only. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
Diodorus Siculus. "The Library of History". Translated by C. H. Oldfather; C. L. Sherman; C. Bradford Welles; Russel M. Geer; F. R. Walton. LacusCurtius. Books 1–32 only. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
Diodorus Siculus. "Library". Translated by C. H. Oldfather. Theoi E-Texts Library. Books 4–6 only. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
Diodorus Siculus. "Library". Translated by C. H. Oldfather. Perseus Digital Library. Books 9–17 only. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
Diodorus Siculus. "Historical Library". Translated by Andrew Smith. Attalus.org. Books 33–40 only. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
April 14, 2023
diodorus, siculus, diodorus, redirects, here, other, uses, diodorus, disambiguation, diodorus, sicily, greek, Διόδωρος, translit, diódōros, century, ancient, greek, historian, known, writing, monumental, universal, history, bibliotheca, historica, forty, books. Diodorus redirects here For other uses see Diodorus disambiguation Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily Greek Diodwros translit Diodōros fl 1st century BC was an ancient Greek historian He is known for writing the monumental universal history Bibliotheca historica in forty books fifteen of which survive intact 1 between 60 and 30 BC The history is arranged in three parts The first covers mythic history up to the destruction of Troy arranged geographically describing regions around the world from Egypt India and Arabia to Europe The second covers the time from the Trojan War to the death of Alexander the Great The third covers the period to about 60 BC Bibliotheca meaning library acknowledges that he was drawing on the work of many other authors Diodorus SiculusDiodorus Siculus as depicted in a 19th century frescoNative nameDiodwrosBornfl 1st century BCAgira SicilyDiedDOD unknownLanguageAncient GreekGenreHistoryNotable worksBibliotheca historica Contents 1 Life 2 Work 3 See also 4 Citations 5 General and cited references 6 Further reading 7 External linksLife EditAccording to his own work he was born in Agyrium in Sicily now called Agira 2 With one exception antiquity affords no further information about his life and doings beyond his written works Only Jerome in his Chronicon under the year of Abraham 1968 49 BC writes Diodorus of Sicily a writer of Greek history became illustrious However his English translator Charles Henry Oldfather remarks on the striking coincidence 3 that one of only two known Greek inscriptions from Agyrium Inscriptiones Graecae XIV 588 is the tombstone of one Diodorus the son of Apollonius 4 Work EditMain article Bibliotheca historica Bibliotheca historica 1746 Diodorus universal history which he named Bibliotheca historica Greek Biblio8hkh Ἱstorikh Historical Library was immense and consisted of 40 books of which 1 5 and 11 20 survive 5 fragments of the lost books are preserved in Photius and the Excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus It was divided into three sections The first six books treated the mythic history of the non Hellenic and Hellenic tribes to the destruction of Troy and are geographical in theme and describe the history and culture of Ancient 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 from 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 Julius Caesar s Gallic Wars 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 labours he stopped short at 60 BC He selected the name Bibliotheca in acknowledgment that he was assembling a composite work from many sources Identified authors on whose works he drew include Hecataeus of Abdera Ctesias of Cnidus Ephorus Theopompus Hieronymus of Cardia Duris of Samos Diyllus Philistus Timaeus Polybius and Posidonius See also EditHellenic historiography Acadine Callon of Epidaurus Diophantus of Abae Pliny the Elder StraboCitations Edit Usher 1969 p 235 Diod History 1 4 4 Oldfather Charles Henry 1977 Introduction Diodorus of Sicily In Twelve Volumes Stronk Jan P 2010 Ctesias Persian History Introduction text and translation by Ctesias p 60 Diodorus Siculus Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 April 2018 General and cited references EditAmbaglio Dino Landucci Gattinoni Franca Bravi Luigi 2008 Diodoro Siculo Biblioteca storica commento storico introduzione generale Storia Ricerche in Italian Milano V amp P pp x 145 ISBN 9788834315842 Buckley Terry 1996 Aspects of Greek History 750 323 BC A Source based Approach London Routledge ISBN 0 415 09958 7 Diodorus Siculus 1935 Library of History Loeb Classical Library Translated by Oldfather C H Cambridge MA Harvard University Press Diodorus Siculus H Valesius I Rhodomannus F Ursinus 1814 The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian in Fifteen Books to which are added the Fragments of Diodorus Translated by G Booth London J Davis via Google Books Diodori Siculi 1798 Peter Wesseling L Rhodoman G Heyn N Eyring eds Bibliothecae Historicae Libri Qui Supersunt Nova Editio in Ancient Greek and Latin Argentorati Societas Bipontina via Internet Archive Usher Stephen 1969 The Historians of Greece and Rome London Hamish Hamilton ISBN 0 2410 1527 8 Further reading EditBraithwaite Westoby Kara Diodorus and the Alleged Revolts of 374 373 BCE Classical Philology 115 no 2 April 2020 265 270 Clarke Katherine 1999 Universal perspectives in Historiography In The Limits of Historiography Genre and Narrative in Ancient Historical Texts Edited by Christina Shuttleworth Kraus 249 279 Mnemosyne Supplementum 191 Leiden The Netherlands Brill Hammond Nicholas G L 1998 Portents Prophecies and Dreams in Diodorus Books 14 17 Greek Roman and Byzantine Studies 39 4 407 428 Hau Lisa Irene Alexander Meeus and Brian Sheridan eds 2018 Diodoros of Sicily Historiographical Theory and Practice in the Bibliotheke Peeters Leuven McQueen Earl I 1995 Diodorus Siculus The Reign of Philip II The Greek and Macedonian Narrative from Book XVI A Companion London Bristol Classical Press Muntz Charles E 2017 Diodorus Siculus and the World of the Late Roman Republic New York Oxford Univ Press Pfuntner Laura 2015 Reading Diodorus through Photius The Case of the Sicilian Slave Revolts Greek Roman and Byzantine Studies 55 1 256 272 Rubincam Catherine 1987 The Organization and Composition of Diodorus Bibliotheke Echos du monde classique Classical views 31 313 328 Sacks Kenneth S 1990 Diodorus Siculus and the First Century Princeton NJ Princeton Univ Press Sinclair Robert K 1963 Diodorus Siculus and the Writing of History Proceedings of the African Classical Association 6 36 45 Stronk Jan P 2017 Semiramis Legacy The History of Persia According to Diodorus of Sicily Edinburgh Edinburgh Univ Press Sulimani Iris 2008 Diodorus Source Citations A Turn in the Attitude of Ancient Authors Towards their Predecessors Athenaeum 96 2 535 567 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diodorus Siculus Wikisource has original works by or about Diodorus Siculus Wikiquote has quotations related to Diodorus Siculus Greek original works Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article Istorikh Biblio8hkh Diodorus Siculus Library in Ancient Greek Perseus Digital Library Books 1 5 only Retrieved 2017 09 06 The Library of History in Ancient Greek LacusCurtius Books 6 10 only Retrieved 2017 09 06 Diodorus Siculus Library in Ancient Greek Perseus Digital Library Books 9 17 only Retrieved 2017 09 06 English translationsWorks by Diodorus Siculus at Project Gutenberg Diodorus Siculus The Library of History Translated by C H Oldfather C L Sherman C Bradford Welles Russel M Geer F R Walton LacusCurtius Books 1 32 only Retrieved 2017 06 25 Diodorus Siculus Library Translated by C H Oldfather Theoi E Texts Library Books 4 6 only Retrieved 2008 10 08 Diodorus Siculus Library Translated by C H Oldfather Perseus Digital Library Books 9 17 only Retrieved 2017 06 25 Diodorus Siculus Historical Library Translated by Andrew Smith Attalus org Books 33 40 only Retrieved 2014 02 07 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Diodorus Siculus amp oldid 1146784017, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
