Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (Ancient Greek: Διόδωρος, romanized: Diódōros; fl. 1st century BC) was an ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He lived a long time ago and wrote one of the biggest history books ever made.

His book is called the Bibliotheca historica, which means “library.” It has forty parts, but only fifteen of them still exist today.

Diodorus wrote his history like a giant storybook about the whole world. The first part tells stories from long ago, even before the famous city of Troy was destroyed. He described many lands, from Egypt and India to Europe. The second part covers the time of the Trojan War and goes up to when Alexander the Great died. The last part talks about events up until about 60 BC.

Because his book is so big and includes many stories from other writers, it is very important for people who want to learn about ancient times. Even though only part of it remains, Bibliotheca historica helps us understand what life was like thousands of years ago.

Life

Diodorus Siculus was born in Agyrium in Sicily, now called Agira. We know little about his life except what he wrote himself. One ancient writer, Jerome, said Diodorus became well-known as a Greek historian. His last known work was from the year 21 BC.

Work

Main article: Bibliotheca historica

Diodorus Siculus wrote a big history book called Bibliotheca historica, or "Historical Library." It had 40 books, but only some of them still exist today. We know about the missing parts from other writers who used them.

The book has three parts. The first part talks about ancient lands and peoples, including stories from Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Scythia, Arabia, North Africa, and Greece. The second part covers world events from the time of the Trojan War until the death of Alexander the Great. The last part tells the story from Alexander’s successors until around 60 BC. We do not know exactly where it ends because those parts are lost.