SICILIAN Diodorus (Diodoros)

Diodorus Siculus; Diodoros, I in. BC. e., the Greek historian. In his youth, undertook a trip to Europe, Asia Minor, and South Africa. Long was in Rome. In 60-56 years. lived in Alexandria. During the 30 years gathering material for his historical work entitled Bibliofika (Bibliotheke), in 40 books on world history. Title of the work was to point to the wealth of information it contained, and the abundance of sources used. Bibliofika described world history from mythical times to Caesar's Gallic campaign (campaign against Britain in 54 g. BC. e.). The entire book preserved. IV and XI-XX, remaining in fragments and excerpts. Surviving the book outline the history of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Scythia, Arabia, South Africa, Greece (up to IV in. BC. e.), the history of the campaigns of Alexander and the fight Diadochi.

The narrative is subordinated to the principle of the annals, the countdown is on dates competitions, lists of Attic archons and the Roman consuls, so the chronology of events is often mistaken. In describing the history of Assyria and Media, the source for D. served, . likely, . product Ctesias, . for Egypt - Hecataeus of Abdera, . for India - Megasthenes, . Greece - Eforie and some of the historians of Alexander, he also used the works of Hieronymus of Cardio, . Polybius, . Posidonius, . and, . perhaps, . of the Roman annalistov, . example, . Fabius Piktora,
. Product D. particularly important as a source of information about the age of Philip of Macedon, the period after the death of Alexander of Macedon, History of Sicily and the early Roman history, which he sometimes gives better information than Livy. Except for the use of many earlier sources, the style of the product D. fairly homogeneous; in the course of the narrative rarely appear speech, eagerly cited by other historians. D. wrote in Koine (Greek dialect international Hellenistic era). The value of the product ID, which is a complement to the other, partially save your work, very variable and depends on the source, on which he relies. Sam D. made no analysis of the sources. Works of literary merit is small.