西西里的狄奥多罗斯

西西里的狄奥多罗斯（〔古希腊〕Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης、〔英〕Diodorus Siculus）是一位前1世纪古希腊历史学家。据狄奥多罗斯自述，他生于西西里阿吉拉。除了他自己的著作《希腊史纲》外，古文献中有关于其生平活动鲜有记载。只有耶柔米在 Chronicon（《纪年史》）中亚伯拉罕1968年（前49年）下记有：“西西里的狄奥多罗斯，希腊历史作家，享盛名”。其作品的英译者 Charles Henry Oldfather 则提到古阿吉拉留下的仅有的两块碑铭中的有一块（I.G. XIV, 588）即“狄奥多罗斯，阿波罗尼奥斯之子”的墓志。

著作

狄奥多罗斯著有世界史 Bibliotheca historica（《希腊史纲》）四十卷，共三部分。首六卷按国别分别介绍古埃及（卷一）、美索不达米亚、印度、斯基泰、阿拉伯（卷二）、北非（卷三）、希腊及欧洲（卷四至卷六）的历史与文化。第二部分（卷七至卷十七）记述自特洛伊战争以来下至亚历山大大帝的世界历史。第三部分（卷十七以后）记述亚历山大以后的继业者至前60年或前45年恺撒发动高卢战争。（狄奥多罗斯如他在他著作的开篇曾说要写高卢战争，但结尾已散佚，所以他是否谈到高卢战争并不清楚。有迹象表明，前60年后，他因年迈而不再写作。）他以 Bibliotheca 作为书名以表明此书乃是综合各种史料集结而成。他提到曾征引的著者有阿布德拉的赫卡塔埃乌斯、克特西亚斯、埃福罗斯、泰奥彭波斯、卡迪亚的希洛尼摩斯、萨摩斯的杜里斯、狄伊卢斯、菲利斯托斯、提麦奥斯、波利比奥斯及波希多尼。

Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (Ancient Greek: Διόδωρος, romanized: Diódōros; fl. 1st century BC) was an ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental universal history Bibliotheca historica, in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact, between 60 and 30 BC.

The history is arranged in three parts. The first covers mythic history up to the destruction of Troy, arranged geographically, describing regions around the world from Egypt, India and Arabia to Europe. The second covers the time from the Trojan War to the death of Alexander the Great. The third covers the period to about 60 BC. Bibliotheca, meaning 'library', acknowledges that he was drawing on the work of many other authors.

Life

According to his own work, he was born in Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira). With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about his life and doings beyond his written works. Only Jerome, in his Chronicon under the "year of Abraham 1968" (49 BC), writes, "Diodorus of Sicily, a writer of Greek history, became illustrious". However, his English translator, Charles Henry Oldfather, remarks on the "striking coincidence" that one of only two known Greek inscriptions from Agyrium (Inscriptiones Graecae XIV, 588) is the tombstone of one "Diodorus, the son of Apollonius" ("Διόδωρος ∙ Ἀπολλωνίου"). The final work attributed to him is from 21 BC.

Work

Diodorus's universal history, which he named Bibliotheca historica (Ancient Greek: Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, "Historical Library"), was immense and consisted of 40 books, of which 1–5 and 11–20 survive: fragments of the lost books are preserved in Photius and the Excerpts of Constantine Porphyrogenitus.

It was divided into three sections. The first section (books I–VI) deals with the mythic history of the non-Hellenic and Hellenic tribes up to the destruction of Troy and is geographical in theme, describing the history and culture of Ancient Egypt (book I), of Mesopotamia, India, Scythia, and Arabia (II), of North Africa (III), and of Greece and Europe (IV–VI).

The next section (books VII–XVII) recounts the history of the world from the Trojan War down to the death of Alexander the Great. The last section (books XVII to the end) concerns the historical events from the successors of Alexander down to either 60 BC or the beginning of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. The end has been lost, so it is unclear whether Diodorus reached the beginning of the Gallic War as he promises at the beginning of his work or, as evidence suggests, old and tired from his labours, he stopped short at 60 BC.

Diodorus selected the name "Bibliotheca" in acknowledgment that he was assembling a composite work from many sources. Identified authors on whose works he drew include Hecataeus of Abdera, Ctesias of Cnidus, Ephorus, Theopompus, Hieronymus of Cardia, Duris of Samos, Diyllus, Philistus, Timaeus, Polybius, and Posidonius.