Diodorus Siculus, The Persian Wars to the Fall of Athens

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