Diodorus Siculus, The Persian Wars to the Fall of Athens

Peter Green's translation and commentary on Books 11 through 14.34 of Diodorus Siculus provides readers with access to one of the most comprehensive ancient narratives covering the pivotal decades from the Persian Wars through the fall of Athens. This volume, part of the Loeb Classical Library series, presents a critical period in Greek history through the lens of a Sicilian historian writing in the first century BCE, centuries after the events he describes.

Diodorus Siculus attempted an ambitious project with his Bibliotheca Historica, aiming to create a universal history from mythological times to his own era. The books translated here cover roughly 480 to 401 BCE, encompassing the Greek victories at Salamis and Plataea, the rise of the Athenian empire, the long and devastating Peloponnesian War, and its aftermath. Green's work makes this substantial historical text accessible to modern readers while providing the scholarly apparatus necessary to navigate its complexities.

The translator brings considerable expertise to this project. Green's background as both a classical historian and translator shows throughout the volume. His rendering of Diodorus into English aims for clarity and readability while maintaining fidelity to the original Greek text. The translation strikes a balance between contemporary accessibility and respect for the ancient source material, avoiding both archaic constructions and overly colloquial modernizations.

One of the significant challenges with Diodorus as a historical source involves his reliance on earlier historians whose works have since been lost. For the period covered in these books, Diodorus drew heavily on sources like Ephorus and others, sometimes incorporating their perspectives without fully reconciling contradictions. Green addresses these issues in his introduction and notes, helping readers understand where Diodorus aligns with or diverges from other ancient sources like Thucydides and Xenophon.

The volume's scholarly apparatus deserves particular mention. Green provides an introduction that contextualizes Diodorus within ancient historiography and explains his methods and sources. The footnotes throughout offer essential guidance, clarifying geographical references, identifying historical figures, and noting where Diodorus's account differs from other surviving sources. This commentary proves invaluable for readers seeking to understand not just what Diodorus wrote, but how his narrative fits into the broader tapestry of ancient historical writing.

The narrative itself covers events that shaped the classical Greek world. The immediate aftermath of the Persian invasions, the formation and expansion of the Delian League into an Athenian empire, and the tensions between Athens and Sparta that eventually erupted into the Peloponnesian War all receive treatment in these books. Diodorus also includes material on Sicilian and Italian affairs, reflecting his own origins and interests, providing perspectives often underrepresented in Athenian-centric sources.

For readers familiar with Thucydides's magisterial account of the Peloponnesian War, Diodorus offers an alternative perspective. While lacking Thucydides's analytical depth and literary polish, Diodorus includes details and events that Thucydides omitted or treated briefly. This complementary value makes the text useful for anyone seeking a more complete picture of fifth-century Greek history. However, readers should approach Diodorus with awareness of his limitations as a source, something Green's notes facilitate.

The chronological organization Diodorus employed, structuring events by Olympiad and archon years, provides a framework that differs from the more thematic approaches of other ancient historians. This structure can occasionally fragment narratives, as events in different regions get treated separately within each year. Green's translation preserves this organization while helping readers follow continuous developments across the chronological divisions.

The production quality typical of the Loeb Classical Library series maintains its standards here. The Greek text appears on facing pages opposite the English translation, allowing those with knowledge of ancient Greek to consult the original while benefiting from Green's translation and commentary. This parallel presentation serves both students working to improve their Greek and scholars examining specific textual questions.

This volume serves multiple audiences effectively. Students of ancient history gain access to an important but often overlooked source for classical Greek history. Scholars benefit from a reliable modern translation with solid annotation. General readers interested in ancient Greece can approach the text with confidence that Green's work will guide them through difficulties and provide necessary context.

The translation represents a significant contribution to making Diodorus more widely available and understood. While Diodorus may never achieve the literary reputation of Herodotus or Thucydides, his work preserves valuable historical information and perspectives that enrich understanding of the classical Greek world. Green's translation and commentary fulfill the essential task of bringing this important source to contemporary readers in a scholarly yet accessible format.