Diodorus Siculus, books 11-12.37.1 : Greek history 480-431 B.C., the alternative version

Only one surviving source provides a continuous narrative of Greek history from Xerxes' invasion to the Wars of the Successors following the death of Alexander the Great—the Bibliotheke , or "Library," produced by Sicilian historian Diodorus Siculus (ca. 90-30 BCE). Yet generations of scholars have disdained Diodorus as a spectacularly unintelligent copyist who only reproduced, and often mangled, the works of earlier historians. Arguing for a thorough critical reappraisal of Diodorus as a minor but far from idiotic historian himself, Peter Green published Diodorus Siculus, Books 11-12.37.1 , a fresh translation, with extensive commentary, of the portion of Diodorus's history dealing with the period 480-431 BCE, the so-called "Golden Age" of Athens. This is the only recent modern English translation of the Bibliotheke in existence. In the present volume—the first of two covering Diodorus's text up to the death of Alexander—Green expands his translation of Diodorus up to Athens' defeat after the Peloponnesian War. In contrast to the full scholarly apparatus in his earlier volume (the translation of which is incorporated) the present volume's purpose is to give students, teachers, and general readers an accessible version of Diodorus's history. Its introduction and notes are especially designed for this audience and provide an up-to-date overview of fifth-century Greece during the years that saw the unparalleled flowering of drama, architecture, philosophy, historiography, and the visual arts for which Greece still remains famous. 2007 A Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book Sicilian historian Diodorus Siculus (ca. 100-30 BCE) is our only surviving source for a continuous narrative of Greek history from Xerxes' invasion to the Wars of the Successors following the death of Alexander the Great. Yet this important historian has been consistently denigrated as a mere copyist who slavishly reproduced the works of earlier historians without understanding what he was writing. By contrast, in this iconoclastic work Peter Green builds a convincing case for Diodorus' merits as a historian. Through a fresh English translation of a key portion of his multi-volume history (the so-called Bibliotheke, or "Library") and a commentary and notes that refute earlier assessments of Diodorus, Green offers a fairer, better balanced estimate of this much-maligned historian. The portion of Diodorus' history translated here covers the period 480-431 BCE, from the Persian invasion of Greece to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. This half-century, known as the Pentekontaetia, was the Golden Age of Periclean Athens, a time of unprecedented achievement in drama, architecture, philosophy, historiography, and the visual arts. Green's accompanying notes and commentary revisit longstanding debates about historical inconsistencies in Diodorus' work and offer thought-provoking new interpretations and conclusions. In his masterful introductory essay, Green demolishes the traditional view of Diodorus and argues for a thorough critical reappraisal of this synthesizing historian, who attempted nothing less than a "universal history" that begins with the gods of mythology and continues down to the eve of Julius Caesar's Gallic campaigns. Annotation Sicilian historian Diodorus Siculus (ca. 100-30 BCE) is our only surviving source for a continuous narrative of Greek history from Xerxes' invasion to the Wars of the Successors following the death of Alexander the Great. Yet this important historian has been consistently denigrated as a mere copyist who slavishly reproduced the works of earlier historians without understanding what he was writing. By contrast, in this iconoclastic work Peter Green builds a convincing case for Diodorus' merits as a historian. Through a fresh English translation of a key portion of his multi-volume history (the so-called Bibliotheke, or "Library") and a commentary and notes that refute earlier assessments of Diodorus, Green offers a fairer, better balanced estimate of this much-maligned historian. The portion of Diodorus' history translated here covers the period 480-431 BCE, from the Persian invasion of Greece to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. This half-century, known as the Pentekontaetia, was the Golden Age of Periclean Athens, a time of unprecedented achievement in drama, architecture, philosophy, historiography, and the visual arts. Green's accompanying notes and commentary revisit longstanding debates about historical inconsistencies in Diodorus' work and offer thought-provoking new interpretations and conclusions. In his masterful introductory essay, Green demolishes the traditional view of Diodorus and argues for a thorough critical reappraisal of this synthesizing historian, who attempted nothing less than a "universal history" that begins with the gods of mythology and continues down to the eve of Julius Caesar's Gallic campaigns CONTENTS......Page 8 PREFACE......Page 10 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 16 INTRODUCTION......Page 26 Diodorus Siculus: Life and Background......Page 27 The Bibliotheke I: Composition, Antecedents, Influences......Page 32 The Bibliotheke II: Aims, Achievements, Criticism......Page 48 The Persian Wars and the Pentekontaetia......Page 59 Translation and Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke BOOK 11: 480 – 451 B.C.E.......Page 74 Translation and Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke BOOK 12.1.1–12.37.1: 450 – 431 B.C.E.......Page 202 APPENDIX A: THE TERMINAL DATE OF THE BIBLIOTHEKE......Page 262 APPENDIX B: ATHENIAN LOSSES IN THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN......Page 267 Map 1. Mainland Greece......Page 270 Map 2. Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean......Page 271 Map 3. Sicily......Page 272 Map 4. Magna Graecia and the Adriatic......Page 273 Map 5. Thermopylai......Page 274 Map 6. Salamis and the Bay of Eleusis......Page 275 Map 7. Plataia and Kithairon......Page 276 Map 8. The Egyptian Delta......Page 277 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE......Page 278 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 300 INDEX......Page 314 CONTENTS 8 PREFACE 10 ABBREVIATIONS 16 INTRODUCTION 26 Diodorus Siculus: Life and Background 27 The Bibliotheke I: Composition, Antecedents, Influences 32 The Bibliotheke II: Aims, Achievements, Criticism 48 The Persian Wars and the Pentekontaetia 59 Translation and Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke BOOK 11: 480 – 451 B.C.E. 74 Translation and Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke BOOK 12.1.1–12.37.1: 450 – 431 B.C.E. 202 APPENDIX A: THE TERMINAL DATE OF THE BIBLIOTHEKE 262 APPENDIX B: ATHENIAN LOSSES IN THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN 267 MAPS (all by Bill Nelson) 270 Map 1. Mainland Greece 270 Map 2. Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean 271 Map 3. Sicily 272 Map 4. Magna Graecia and the Adriatic 273 Map 5. Thermopylai 274 Map 6. Salamis and the Bay of Eleusis 275 Map 7. Plataia and Kithairon 276 Map 8. The Egyptian Delta 277 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 278 BIBLIOGRAPHY 300 INDEX 314 Diodorus Siculus: Life And Background -- The Bibliotheke I: Composition, Antecedents, Influences -- The Bibliotheke Ii: Aims, Achievements, Criticism -- The Persian Wars And The Pentekontaetia -- Translation And Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke Book 11: 480-451 B.c.e. -- Translation And Commentary, Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheke Book 12.1.1-12.37.1: 450-431 B.c.e. -- Appendix A: The Terminal Date Of The Bibliotheke -- Appendix B: Athenian Losses In The Egyptian Campaign. Translated, With Introduction And Commentary, By Peter Green. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [275]-288) And Index.