Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian of the first century BCE whose Bibliotheca historica traced universal history from mythic times to his own era.

Bibliotheca historica: A universal history by Diodorus Siculus, written in Greek and originally comprising forty books. This is Diodorus’s surviving work and the basis for his reputation.
Historical compilation: The assembly and organization of information from earlier accounts into a new historical work. Diodorus combined prior authors rather than relying on a single continuous source.
Alexander the Great: A Macedonian king who created an empire stretching from Greece to northwestern India in the fourth century BCE. Diodorus’s account of Alexander is a major surviving narrative of his campaigns.
Herodotus: A fifth-century BCE Greek historian whose Histories recount the Greco-Persian Wars and customs of many peoples. Herodotus’s inquiry and narrative style offer an earlier model distinct from Diodorus’s compilation.
Lost works of antiquity: Ancient writings known to have existed but no longer preserved in complete surviving copies. Diodorus carries fragments and summaries of authors whose works have disappeared.
Universal history: A historical narrative that seeks to cover multiple peoples and eras within a single account. Diodorus organized diverse histories into one continuous account.
Source criticism: The evaluation of a text’s sources, transmission, and reliability. Comparing Diodorus with his sources helps identify borrowing and adaptation.
Agathocles of Syracuse: A Greek ruler of Syracuse who became king in 304 BCE and campaigned in North Africa. Diodorus preserves a substantial narrative of Agathocles’s rise and wars.
Thucydides: A fifth-century BCE Greek historian who analyzed the Peloponnesian War through political and military causation. Thucydides’s focused, analytical history contrasts with Diodorus’s global chronological scope.
Diodorus Siculus on Alexander: The surviving portion of Diodorus’s Bibliotheca historica narrating Alexander the Great’s reign and campaigns. This section remains a major source for Alexander’s early career and campaigns.

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