Diodoros of Sicily: Bibliotheke Historike: Volume 2, Books 16-17: The Rise of Macedon under Philip II and the Conquests of Alexander III (the Great) - Translation, with Introduction and Notes

Diodoros of Sicily (c.90-c.30 BC) spent thirty years producing an encyclopedic compendium of world history from its mythical beginnings to his own day. His is the only surviving, connected account of Greek affairs from 480/79 to 302/1. The books translated in this volume offer the best account of the career of Philip II of Macedon, his conquest of Greece and his assassination, as well as the earliest extant history of the career of Alexander the Great. Book 16 is also the main source for the Persian re-conquest of Egypt by Artaxerxes III (Okhos), the seizure of Delphi by the Phokians in the Third Sacred War, and Athens' defeat by a coalition of her allies in the Social War. The translation is supported by extensive notes, and the Introduction examines Diodoros' moral and educational purpose in writing, the plan of his work, his sources, and his qualities as a historian.

List of contents

List of maps and figures; Preface; Abbreviations; Maps; Introduction; Book 16; Book 17; Glossary; Appendix: chronological outline; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

Phillip Harding is Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of British Columbia, where he taught for thirty-six years. His publications include: From the End of the Peloponnesian War to the Battle of Ipsus (Cambridge, 1985), Androtion and the Atthis (1994), Didymos: On Demosthenes (2006), The Story of Athens (2008), Athens Transformed, 404–262 BC (2015) and Diodoros of Sicily: Bibliotheke Historike, vol. 1: Books 14-15 (Cambridge, 2021).

Product details

• Assisted by: Harding Phillip (Editor and translation)
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.05.2026
• EAN: 9781108499156
• ISBN: 978-1-108-49915-6
• Illustrations: Worked examples or Exercises
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; HISTORY / Ancient / General, Ancient Greece, Macedonia, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Ancient (Classical) Greek, Persian Empire, 5th century, c 499 to c 400 BCE, For higher / tertiary / university education, 4th century, c 399 to c 300 BCE, Textbook, coursework