Library of History, Volume I: Books 1–2.34

by Diodorus Siculus, C.H. Oldfather (Translator)

Diodorus Siculus, Greek historian of Agyrium in Sicily, ca. 80-20 BCE, wrote forty books of world history, called "Library of History, " in three parts: mythical history of peoples, non-Greek and Greek, to the Trojan War; history to Alexander's death (323 BCE); history to 54 BCE. Of this we have complete Books I-V (Egyptians, Assyrians, Ethiopians, Greeks) and Books XI-XX (Greek history 480-302 BCE); and fragments of the rest. He was an uncritical compiler, but used good sources and reproduced them faithfully. He is valuable for details unrecorded elsewhere, and as evidence for works now lost, especially writings of Ephorus, Apollodorus, Agatharchides, Philistus, and Timaeus.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Diodorus Siculus is in twelve volumes.

Genres: History, Classics, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Mythology

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Diodorus Siculus (Greek: Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης [Diodoros Sikeliotes]) was a Greek historian, who wrote works of history between 60 and 30 BC. He is known for the monumental universal history Bibliotheca Historica. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira). With one exception, antique sources afford no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work. Only Jerome, in his Chronicon under the "year of Abraham 1968" (i.e., 49 BC), writes, "Diodorus of Sicily, a writer of Greek history, became illustrious". His English translator, Charles Henry Oldfather, remarks on the "striking coincidence" that one of only two known Greek inscriptions from Agyrium (I.G. XIV, 588) is the tombstone of one "Diodorus, the son of Apollonius".

Diodorus' universal history, which he named Bibliotheca Historica ("Historical Library"), was immense and consisted of 40 books, of which 1–5 and 11–20 survive: 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.

His account of gold mining in Nubia in eastern Egypt is one of the earliest extant texts on the topic, and describes in vivid detail the use of slave labour in terrible working conditions.

Reviews

[Danny Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

That five-star rating I just gave Diodorus is specific to folks who love ancient history and mythology - those who don't already, or are more interested in the more traditional ancient historians like Herodotus and Thucydides, probably won't give it that high a mark. In my case I simply enjoy the fact that Diodorus seems to like writing about everything, including digressions that might have anything at all to do with what he's writing about. I also set this first volume apart since it deals with earlier ages (including ancient Egyptian mythology) than most Greek historians covered, surveying other periods I enjoy reading about. And finally, while my Classical Greek is shaky (I have more experience with Koine), I'm told this is a decent translation. I don't suppose Diodorus is popular enough to warrant getting one of Loeb's updated translations, but I'd love to see one nevertheless.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the whole 12 volume series on Diodorus Siculus which I have managed to work my way through in something less than a month as part of my 'read the neglected, source-mined historians' project. There is a fairly substantial section of Diodorus which survives intact, especially the parts covering the 4th century, which is a period which, while conversant, I don't get the chance to read. The added element of Sicilian history covers a region which isn't usually discussed in depth in most Greek text books, which, understandably, tends to focus on mainland Greece.

Of course, Diodorus is, himself, a source-miner in that he closely follows one or two main sources for large chunks of narrative without really contributing very much more. That, in itself, should assuage the guilt of anyone source-mining him, of course, but he has a peculiar value of preserving the interpretations of historians now lost to us.

Well worth reading, but very much battles and great men perspective. Diodorus believes firmly in the utility of history both as teaching public figures how to run a state, but also as moral examples.

[Midori]

Greek Historiography in its not so good moments...

[Yasiru]

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E...

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...

[Lulu]

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).