Fr. 23.50

Library, Books 16-20 - Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Successors

English · Paperback

Shipping usually within 1 to 3 weeks (not available at short notice)

Description

Read more

Starting with the most meagre resources, Philip made his kingdom the greatest power in Europe

The Greek historian Diodorus of Sicily is one of our most valuable sources from ancient times. His history, in forty volumes, was intended to range from mythological times to 60 BCE, and fifteen of The Library's forty books survive.

This new translation by Robin Waterfield of books 16-20 covers a vital period in European history. Book 16 is devoted to Philip, and without it the career of this great king would be far more obscure to us. Book 17 is the earliest surviving account by over a hundred years of the world-changing eastern conquests of Alexander the Great, Philip's son. Books 18-20 constitute virtually our sole source of information on the twenty turbulent years following Alexander's death and on the violent path followed by Agathocles of Syracuse. There are fascinating snippets of history from elsewhere too - from Republican Rome, the Cimmerian Bosporus, and elsewhere.

Despite his obvious importance, Diodorus is a neglected historian. This is the first English translation of any of these books in over fifty years. The introduction places Diodorus in his context in first-century-BCE Rome, describes and discusses the kind of history he was intending to write, and assesses his strengths and weaknesses as a historian. With extensive explanatory notes on this gripping and sensational period of history, the book serves as a unique resource for historians and students.

List of contents

  • Introduction

  • Select Bibliography

  • Maps

  • Synopsis of Books 16-20

  • The Library

  • Book 16

  • Book 17

  • Book 18

  • Book 19

  • Book 20

  • Explanatory Notes

  • Textual Notes

  • Glossary

  • Appendix 1: Diodorus' Sources for Books 16-20

  • Appendix 2: Roman Consuls of Books 16-20

  • Index of Proper Names

About the author

Robin Waterfield is a writer, living in Greece. His previous translations for Oxford World's Classics include Plato's Republic and five other editions of Plato's dialogues, Aristotle's Physics, and The Art of Rhetoric, Herodotus' Histories, Polybius' Histories, Plutarch's Greek Lives and Roman Lives and Hellenistic Lives, Euripides' Orestes and Other Plays and Heracles and Other Plays, Xenophon's The Expedition of Cyrus, Demosthenes' Selected Speeches and The First Philosophers: The PreSocratics and the Sophists. He is the author of Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great's Empire (Oxford, 2011), Taken at the Flood (Oxford, 2014), and Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens (Oxford 2018).

Summary

Diodorus of Sicily's The Library, Books 16-20, constitute a unique and vital resource for the careers of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, and for the Early Hellenistic Period, the time of the Successors.

Product details

Authors Diodorus Siculus
Assisted by Robin Waterfield (Editor), Robin (freelance writer and translator) Waterfield (Editor)
Publisher Oxford University Press
 
Languages English
Product format Paperback
Released 30.06.2019
 
EAN 9780198759881
ISBN 978-0-19-875988-1
No. of pages 624
Series Oxford World's Classics
Oxford World's Classics
Subjects Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries
Non-fiction book

Customer reviews

No reviews have been written for this item yet. Write the first review and be helpful to other users when they decide on a purchase.

Write a review

Thumbs up or thumbs down? Write your own review.

For messages to CeDe.ch please use the contact form.

The input fields marked * are obligatory

By submitting this form you agree to our data privacy statement.