DIODORUS SICULUS, Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily, lived in the times of Julius Caesar and Augustus. From his own statements we learn that he travelled in Egypt between 6o-57 B.C. and that he spent several years in Rome. The latest event mentioned by him belongs to the year 21 B.C. His history, Bibliotheca historiaa, "Historical Library" consisted of forty books, and was divided into three parts. The first treats of the mythic history of the non-Hellenic, and afterwards of the Hellenic tribes, to the destruction of Troy; the second section ends with Alexander's death ; and the third continues the history as far as the beginning of Caesar's Gallic War. Of this exten sive work there are still extant only the first five books, treating of the mythic history of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Ethiopians and Greeks; and also the 11th to the loth books inclusive, begin ning with the second Persian War, and ending with the history of the successors of Alexander, previous to the partition of the Macedonian empire (302). The rest exists only in fragments preserved in Photius and the excerpts of Constantine Porphy rogenitus. The faults of Diodorus arise partly from the nature of the undertaking, and the annalistic form which he adopts. He lacks the critical faculty; he repeats and contradicts himself, and his simple diction, intermediate between pure Attic and the colloquial Greek of his time, enables us to detect the un digested fragments of the materials which he employed. Yet the Bibliotheca is of considerable value as supplying to some extent the loss of the works of older authors, from which it is compiled. Unfortunately, Diodorus does not always quote his authorities, but his general sources of information were in history and chronology, Castor, Ephorus and Apollodorus ; in geography, Agatharchides and Artemidorus. In special sections he followed special authorities, e.g., in the history of Sicily, Philistus and Timaeus.
Editio princeps, by H. Stephanus (1559) ; of other editions the best are: P. Wesseling (1746) not yet superseded ; L. Dindorf (1828-31) ; (text) L. Dindorf (1866-68) (revised by F. Vogel, 1888-93 and C. T. Fischer, 1905-06) . The standard works on the sources of Diodorus are C. G. Heyne, De fontibus et auctoribus historiarum Diodori, printed in Dindorf's edition, and C. A. Volquardsen, Die Quellen der griechischen and sicilischen Geschichten bei Diodor (1868) ; A. von Mess, Rheinisches Museum (1906) ; see also L. O. Brocker, Unter suchungen fiber Diodor (1879) , short, but containing much informa tion ; O. Maass, Kleitarch ulsd Diodor (1894 etc.) ; G. J. Schneider, De Diodori fontibus, i.—iv. (188o) ; C. Wachsmuth, Einleitung in das Studium der alten Geschichte (1895) ; GREECE: Ancient History, "Authorities."