Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Diodorus Siculus shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Diodorus Siculus offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Diodorus Siculus at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Diodorus Siculus? Wrong! If the Diodorus Siculus is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Diodorus Siculus then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Diodorus Siculus? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Diodorus Siculus and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Diodorus Siculus wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Diodorus Siculus then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Diodorus Siculus site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Diodorus Siculus, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Diodorus Siculus, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Diodorus Siculus (
Greek language ), ca.
90 BC– ca. 27 BC, was a
ancient Greece historian, believed to have been born at
Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira). Buckley, p6
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
Diadochi down to either 60 BC or the beginning of Julius Caesar 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 Ptolemaic Egypt in the 180th
Olympiad (between
60 BC and 56 BC). This visit was marked by his witnessing an angry mob demand the death of a
Roman Empire 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 Augustus'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 Greek 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"Lloyd, p 47(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 II of Macedon, 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. Pliny the Elder, Natural History, the Preface
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 VII.
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
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.
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
Diodorus Siculus (
Greek language ), ca. 90 BC– ca.
27 BC, was a
ancient Greece historian, believed to have been born at Agyrium in
Sicily (now called Agira). Buckley, p6
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 Diadochi down to either 60 BC or the beginning of Julius Caesar 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 Ptolemaic Egypt in the 180th Olympiad (between 60 BC and 56 BC). This visit was marked by his witnessing an angry mob demand the death of a Roman Empire 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
Augustus'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 Greek 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"Lloyd, p 47(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 II of Macedon, 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. Pliny the Elder, Natural History, the Preface
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 VII.
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
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.
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
Diodorus Siculus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diodorus Siculus (Greek: Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης), was a Greek historian who flourished in the 1st century BC. According to Diodorus own work he was born at Agyrium ...
Diodorus Siculus
Name: Diodoros Siculus. Occupation: From: Agyrium (Sicily) Son of: perhaps Apollonius. Occupation: Dates: fl. c. 50 BC. Brief biography: Biblioteke (Universal history) covered the ...
Diodorus Siculus definition of Diodorus Siculus in the Free Online ...
Diodorus Siculus (dīədôr`əs sĭk`y ləs), d. after 21 B.C., Sicilian historian. He wrote, in Greek, a world history in 40 books, ending with Caesar's Gallic Wars.
Diodorus Siculus - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Diodorus ...
Diodorus Siculus (lived 1st century BC) Greek historian. His Bibliotheca Historica consisted of 40 books in three sections: it covered the period from before the Trojan War to ...
Diodorus Siculus. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07
Diodorus Siculus. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07 ... d dôr´ s s k´y l s) (KEY) , d. after 21 B.C., Sicilian historian. He wrote, in Greek, a world history in ...
Diodorus Siculus - LoveToKnow 1911
DIODORUS SICULUS, Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily, lived in the times of Julius Caesar and Augustus. From his own statements we learn that he travelled in Egypt between ...
Amazon.com: Diodorus Siculus: The Library of History, Volume III ...
Amazon.com: Diodorus Siculus: The Library of History, Volume III, Books 4.59-8. (Loeb Classical Library No. 340): Diodorus Siculus: Books ...
Diodorus Siculus, Library
Contents: Book 9: Fragments of Book 9; Book 10: Fragments of Book 10; Book 10a: Fragments of Uncertain Provenience; Book 11: Contents of the Eleventh Book of Diodorus; Book 12 ...
LacusCurtius • Diodorus Siculus
The complete Library of History, in English translation, in progress. Part of a very large site on classical Antiquity.
Harvard University Press: Library of History, I : Books 1-2 ...
Library of History, I: Books 1-2.34 by Diodorus Siculus, published by Harvard University Press ... Diodorus Siculus, Greek historian of Agyrium in Sicily, ca. 80–20 BCE, wrote ...
