Yun Lee Too
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577804
- eISBN:
- 9780191722912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577804.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter 5 considers another book that calls itself a library, the Library of History of Diodorus Siculus. Here the book has a particular world view, which demonstrates that the library may have a ...
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Chapter 5 considers another book that calls itself a library, the Library of History of Diodorus Siculus. Here the book has a particular world view, which demonstrates that the library may have a particular function in the world. Diodorus espouses a cosmopolitanism that sees all history and all mankind as inextricably linked, with harmony as the ideal and enmity as a non‐ideal. This is the substance of his narrative. At the centre of this cosmopolitan paradigm is Rome, which accepts everyone into itself and governs other nations peacefully. The Library of History is a work that draws together humanity and its experiences of justice and injustice, kindness and cruelty, as the inhabitants of a single, ‘civic’ community.Less
Chapter 5 considers another book that calls itself a library, the Library of History of Diodorus Siculus. Here the book has a particular world view, which demonstrates that the library may have a particular function in the world. Diodorus espouses a cosmopolitanism that sees all history and all mankind as inextricably linked, with harmony as the ideal and enmity as a non‐ideal. This is the substance of his narrative. At the centre of this cosmopolitan paradigm is Rome, which accepts everyone into itself and governs other nations peacefully. The Library of History is a work that draws together humanity and its experiences of justice and injustice, kindness and cruelty, as the inhabitants of a single, ‘civic’ community.
Lisa Irene Hau
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474411073
- eISBN:
- 9781474422048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474411073.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the Diodorus source problem and its bearing on the argument. It then offers a thorough analysis of the moral-didactic lessons and moralising techniques ...
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This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the Diodorus source problem and its bearing on the argument. It then offers a thorough analysis of the moral-didactic lessons and moralising techniques of Diodorus Siculus. It finds that Diodorus’ story universe is governed by divine forces, which are largely just, and that this makes piety the cardinal virtue of his historical actors. Diodorus also condemns brutality and cruel behaviour in any context, and especially when perpetrated against civilians or prisoners of war. Throughout, he recommends epieikeia, decent treatment of those in one’s power, as the most moral and most practically beneficial course. The chapter ends with an overview of differences in moralising between parts of Diodorus’ work based on different sources and briefly hypothesises about the moralising of these sources, some of which are going to be analysed in more detail in chapter 3.Less
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the Diodorus source problem and its bearing on the argument. It then offers a thorough analysis of the moral-didactic lessons and moralising techniques of Diodorus Siculus. It finds that Diodorus’ story universe is governed by divine forces, which are largely just, and that this makes piety the cardinal virtue of his historical actors. Diodorus also condemns brutality and cruel behaviour in any context, and especially when perpetrated against civilians or prisoners of war. Throughout, he recommends epieikeia, decent treatment of those in one’s power, as the most moral and most practically beneficial course. The chapter ends with an overview of differences in moralising between parts of Diodorus’ work based on different sources and briefly hypothesises about the moralising of these sources, some of which are going to be analysed in more detail in chapter 3.
Jane Griffiths
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199273607
- eISBN:
- 9780191706301
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199273607.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Skelton's titles give some sense of the views of the poet available to him, and the way in which he redefines them depends not on theory but on his own practice as a writer. This chapter begins with ...
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Skelton's titles give some sense of the views of the poet available to him, and the way in which he redefines them depends not on theory but on his own practice as a writer. This chapter begins with a re-examination of its implications, focusing on his early translation of the Bibliotheca Historica of Diodorus Siculus (c.1487). Although the Bibliotheca has been neglected critically, it is none the less central to Skelton's understanding of the writer's authority. It provides him with a number of commonplaces on the subject of writing that recur again and again in his later works. More importantly, however, his practice as translator repeatedly demonstrates the extent of the writer's influence over his subject. Where his source-text presents the historian as one whose authority is derived from his material—that is, in the writings of previous historians—Skelton's translation proposes an altogether different relation between the writer and his subject-matter. His source consistently discusses the writer's res (or subject-matter) in classical terms, as independent from the verba (or the words in which it is clothed). Thus, the meaning of the original may be transferred intact, unaffected by its treatment by a new writer or translator.Less
Skelton's titles give some sense of the views of the poet available to him, and the way in which he redefines them depends not on theory but on his own practice as a writer. This chapter begins with a re-examination of its implications, focusing on his early translation of the Bibliotheca Historica of Diodorus Siculus (c.1487). Although the Bibliotheca has been neglected critically, it is none the less central to Skelton's understanding of the writer's authority. It provides him with a number of commonplaces on the subject of writing that recur again and again in his later works. More importantly, however, his practice as translator repeatedly demonstrates the extent of the writer's influence over his subject. Where his source-text presents the historian as one whose authority is derived from his material—that is, in the writings of previous historians—Skelton's translation proposes an altogether different relation between the writer and his subject-matter. His source consistently discusses the writer's res (or subject-matter) in classical terms, as independent from the verba (or the words in which it is clothed). Thus, the meaning of the original may be transferred intact, unaffected by its treatment by a new writer or translator.
T. P. Wiseman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558681
- eISBN:
- 9780191720888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558681.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter discusses the first surviving part of Velleius Paterculus' history (1.1-8), which covers the period from the Trojan War to the reign of Romulus, with particular reference to the ...
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This chapter discusses the first surviving part of Velleius Paterculus' history (1.1-8), which covers the period from the Trojan War to the reign of Romulus, with particular reference to the foundations of cities and colonies, and the succession of monarchical power (imperium) in Greece and Asia. The discussion concentrates on Velleius' interest in Hercules, whose apotheosis he even uses as a dating marker like the Trojan War or the foundation of Rome. Comparison with Diodorus's narrative of Hercules' deeds, and with the first Nemean Ode of Pindar (written for a Sicilian patron), suggests that Velleius may have been following a western tradition in which Hercules became a god after the defeat of the Giants in Campania. Velleius himself was Campanian, as was his patron M. Vinicius, whose family's presence there can be traced back to the 5th century BC.Less
This chapter discusses the first surviving part of Velleius Paterculus' history (1.1-8), which covers the period from the Trojan War to the reign of Romulus, with particular reference to the foundations of cities and colonies, and the succession of monarchical power (imperium) in Greece and Asia. The discussion concentrates on Velleius' interest in Hercules, whose apotheosis he even uses as a dating marker like the Trojan War or the foundation of Rome. Comparison with Diodorus's narrative of Hercules' deeds, and with the first Nemean Ode of Pindar (written for a Sicilian patron), suggests that Velleius may have been following a western tradition in which Hercules became a god after the defeat of the Giants in Campania. Velleius himself was Campanian, as was his patron M. Vinicius, whose family's presence there can be traced back to the 5th century BC.
Liv Mariah Yarrow
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199277544
- eISBN:
- 9780191708022
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277544.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This book starts at the end of Polybius' Histories, and investigates documentation of the Roman empire recorded by non-Romans. Intellectuals, being members of the social elite, controlled the wealth ...
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This book starts at the end of Polybius' Histories, and investigates documentation of the Roman empire recorded by non-Romans. Intellectuals, being members of the social elite, controlled the wealth in a community and usually the political decision-making processes as well. After the destruction of Carthage and Corinth, Rome made the transition from military dominance to provincial administration and client states. This left local elites grasping for the remains of their political influence. The products of the intellectuals reflect the concerns of the day. Also the culture of intellectual exchange in place in the Mediterranean gave the local elite a means of communicating their anxieties and expectations. Historical texts offer the most explicit evidence of this trend. The texts of six contemporary historians of this period survive in enough detail to allow productive analysis: the author of 1 Maccabees, Posidonius, Diodorus Siculus, Pompeius Trogus, Nicolaus of Damascus, and Memnon of Heraclea. The book starts with a detailed analysis of the relationship between intellectuals and political authority. However, methodological difficulties are encountered because of the fragmentary nature of most of the surviving historical texts composed by non-Romans. Thus, the discussion continues by laying out an approach to the reliability of different forms of reliquiae. The remainder of the study looks at the political dimensions of the themes present in the contemporary history-writing of non-Romans, how narrative structures help to further the compositional objectives of each historian, and mythological and ethnographical characterizations of the Romans, their domestic affairs, and their involvement with the wider Mediterranean. The study also explores the portrayal of potential rivals for political dominion of the Mediterranean. The book shows that the historians are working not with models of endorsement or resistance, but instead with an eye to the pragmatic issues of harmonious co-existence. Rome is treated as an ultimate authority, intrinsically neither good nor bad.Less
This book starts at the end of Polybius' Histories, and investigates documentation of the Roman empire recorded by non-Romans. Intellectuals, being members of the social elite, controlled the wealth in a community and usually the political decision-making processes as well. After the destruction of Carthage and Corinth, Rome made the transition from military dominance to provincial administration and client states. This left local elites grasping for the remains of their political influence. The products of the intellectuals reflect the concerns of the day. Also the culture of intellectual exchange in place in the Mediterranean gave the local elite a means of communicating their anxieties and expectations. Historical texts offer the most explicit evidence of this trend. The texts of six contemporary historians of this period survive in enough detail to allow productive analysis: the author of 1 Maccabees, Posidonius, Diodorus Siculus, Pompeius Trogus, Nicolaus of Damascus, and Memnon of Heraclea. The book starts with a detailed analysis of the relationship between intellectuals and political authority. However, methodological difficulties are encountered because of the fragmentary nature of most of the surviving historical texts composed by non-Romans. Thus, the discussion continues by laying out an approach to the reliability of different forms of reliquiae. The remainder of the study looks at the political dimensions of the themes present in the contemporary history-writing of non-Romans, how narrative structures help to further the compositional objectives of each historian, and mythological and ethnographical characterizations of the Romans, their domestic affairs, and their involvement with the wider Mediterranean. The study also explores the portrayal of potential rivals for political dominion of the Mediterranean. The book shows that the historians are working not with models of endorsement or resistance, but instead with an eye to the pragmatic issues of harmonious co-existence. Rome is treated as an ultimate authority, intrinsically neither good nor bad.
John Marincola
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558681
- eISBN:
- 9780191720888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558681.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter works outward from the final scene of Virgil's Aeneid in order to examine three interlocking themes. The first is the importance of the Social (or Marsic) War (91-88 BC) as an analogue ...
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This chapter works outward from the final scene of Virgil's Aeneid in order to examine three interlocking themes. The first is the importance of the Social (or Marsic) War (91-88 BC) as an analogue for the battles waged for Italy in the second half of Virgil's Aeneid. Here historiographical texts (Sallust, Diodorus, Posidonius) are adduced in order to show the issues surrounding the Social War. The second theme is the dilemma between mercy and vengeance, and the difficulty for Roman authors in portraying civil war. It is argued that the ‘open’ endings of both Aeneid and Sallust's Catiline are not accidental, but rather one strategy for dealing with those difficulties. The third theme is the role that spoils play in late Republican discussions of their empire and treatment of their subjects, and the way in which this is related to the question of civil war.Less
This chapter works outward from the final scene of Virgil's Aeneid in order to examine three interlocking themes. The first is the importance of the Social (or Marsic) War (91-88 BC) as an analogue for the battles waged for Italy in the second half of Virgil's Aeneid. Here historiographical texts (Sallust, Diodorus, Posidonius) are adduced in order to show the issues surrounding the Social War. The second theme is the dilemma between mercy and vengeance, and the difficulty for Roman authors in portraying civil war. It is argued that the ‘open’ endings of both Aeneid and Sallust's Catiline are not accidental, but rather one strategy for dealing with those difficulties. The third theme is the role that spoils play in late Republican discussions of their empire and treatment of their subjects, and the way in which this is related to the question of civil war.
John Holton
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198748472
- eISBN:
- 9780191811098
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198748472.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
At 13.19–33 of his Bibliotheke historike Diodorus Siculus provides a unique presentation of the fate of Nicias and Demosthenes, Athenian generals captured along with their troops while leading the ...
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At 13.19–33 of his Bibliotheke historike Diodorus Siculus provides a unique presentation of the fate of Nicias and Demosthenes, Athenian generals captured along with their troops while leading the Sicilian Expedition of 415–413 BCE. Speeches by the Syracusan citizen Nicolaus and the Spartan general Gylippus outline opposing options: humane (philanthropos) or brutal treatment. This discussion is highly stylized by Diodorus, becoming a rhetorical tour de force which showcases his estimation of Classical Athenian democracy. The strong redolence of Thucydides’ Melian Dialogue and Mytilenian Debate, both archetypal discussions of the effects and ethics of Athenian imperialism, underpins my labelling 13.19–33 the ‘Sicilian Dialogue’. The primary purpose of this chapter is to highlight, through an extended discussion of the literary and ethical underpinnings of the Sicilian Dialogue, Diodorus’ views on fifth-century Athenian imperialist democracy and his interaction with Athenian political thought, centred on the virtue of philanthropia, crucial for his historical vision.Less
At 13.19–33 of his Bibliotheke historike Diodorus Siculus provides a unique presentation of the fate of Nicias and Demosthenes, Athenian generals captured along with their troops while leading the Sicilian Expedition of 415–413 BCE. Speeches by the Syracusan citizen Nicolaus and the Spartan general Gylippus outline opposing options: humane (philanthropos) or brutal treatment. This discussion is highly stylized by Diodorus, becoming a rhetorical tour de force which showcases his estimation of Classical Athenian democracy. The strong redolence of Thucydides’ Melian Dialogue and Mytilenian Debate, both archetypal discussions of the effects and ethics of Athenian imperialism, underpins my labelling 13.19–33 the ‘Sicilian Dialogue’. The primary purpose of this chapter is to highlight, through an extended discussion of the literary and ethical underpinnings of the Sicilian Dialogue, Diodorus’ views on fifth-century Athenian imperialist democracy and his interaction with Athenian political thought, centred on the virtue of philanthropia, crucial for his historical vision.
Lisa Irene Hau
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781474411073
- eISBN:
- 9781474422048
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474411073.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it ...
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This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it offers a thorough analysis of the moralising techniques and moral-didactic lessons of Polybius and Diodorus Siculus and then analyses the fragments of a range of less well-preserved Hellenistic works of historiography (Timaeus, Phylarchus, Duris, Hieronymus, Agatharchides, and Posidonius) to see how far it is possible to trace similar techniques and lessons in these works. In Part II, the roots of Hellenistic historiographical moralising are traced in the Classical works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and the fragments of the Oxyrhynchus Historian, Ephorus, and Theopompus. The book concludes that the Greek genre of historiography was moral-didactic from its inception, like most of the Classical Greek literary genres, and that this purpose became explicit and its techniques formalised in Hellenistic times, but that neither the writers nor the readers of the genre believed this moral-didactic purpose to be detrimental to the truth-value of historiography. Ancient historiography was history writing with an agenda: it was Moral History (in the same way that some modern historiography can be defined as, say, Feminist History or Postcolonial History), but it was still History.Less
This book offers an interpretation of the first 500 years of history writing as a moral-didactic genre, and argues that this does not invalidate ancient Greek historiography as history. In Part I, it offers a thorough analysis of the moralising techniques and moral-didactic lessons of Polybius and Diodorus Siculus and then analyses the fragments of a range of less well-preserved Hellenistic works of historiography (Timaeus, Phylarchus, Duris, Hieronymus, Agatharchides, and Posidonius) to see how far it is possible to trace similar techniques and lessons in these works. In Part II, the roots of Hellenistic historiographical moralising are traced in the Classical works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and the fragments of the Oxyrhynchus Historian, Ephorus, and Theopompus. The book concludes that the Greek genre of historiography was moral-didactic from its inception, like most of the Classical Greek literary genres, and that this purpose became explicit and its techniques formalised in Hellenistic times, but that neither the writers nor the readers of the genre believed this moral-didactic purpose to be detrimental to the truth-value of historiography. Ancient historiography was history writing with an agenda: it was Moral History (in the same way that some modern historiography can be defined as, say, Feminist History or Postcolonial History), but it was still History.
Charles Muntz
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- February 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190498726
- eISBN:
- 9780190498740
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190498726.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The Bibliotheke of Diodorus Siculus is one of the most important histories to survive from antiquity and a critical work of Greek historiography. This book focuses on the first part of Diodorus, ...
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The Bibliotheke of Diodorus Siculus is one of the most important histories to survive from antiquity and a critical work of Greek historiography. This book focuses on the first part of Diodorus, which covers “barbarian” ethnography, myth, and early history and contains the most varied and eclectic material in his work. It shows how Diodorus defines the physical, political, and cultural boundaries of the late Roman Republic and uses them to map out future possibilities for the Romans. Diodorus reveals through the history, myths, and customs of the “barbarians” the secrets of successful states and rulers, and contributes to the debates surrounding the transition from Republic to Empire. The “barbarians” of the Bibliotheke are closely connected to the crumbling Republic. Through the medium of the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Indians, and others Diodorus engages with major issues and intellectual disputes of his time, including the origins of civilization, the propriety of ruler cult, the benefits of monarchy, and the relationship of mythology and history. Diodorus has much in common with Roman historiography and Roman authors writing on these topics, notably Cicero, Lucretius, Varro, Sallust, and Livy. But engaging with such controversial issues, even indirectly, could be dangerous for a Greek provincial such as Diodorus during the Roman civil wars, and he may never have completed or fully published the Bibliotheke in his lifetime.Less
The Bibliotheke of Diodorus Siculus is one of the most important histories to survive from antiquity and a critical work of Greek historiography. This book focuses on the first part of Diodorus, which covers “barbarian” ethnography, myth, and early history and contains the most varied and eclectic material in his work. It shows how Diodorus defines the physical, political, and cultural boundaries of the late Roman Republic and uses them to map out future possibilities for the Romans. Diodorus reveals through the history, myths, and customs of the “barbarians” the secrets of successful states and rulers, and contributes to the debates surrounding the transition from Republic to Empire. The “barbarians” of the Bibliotheke are closely connected to the crumbling Republic. Through the medium of the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Indians, and others Diodorus engages with major issues and intellectual disputes of his time, including the origins of civilization, the propriety of ruler cult, the benefits of monarchy, and the relationship of mythology and history. Diodorus has much in common with Roman historiography and Roman authors writing on these topics, notably Cicero, Lucretius, Varro, Sallust, and Livy. But engaging with such controversial issues, even indirectly, could be dangerous for a Greek provincial such as Diodorus during the Roman civil wars, and he may never have completed or fully published the Bibliotheke in his lifetime.
Peter Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520255074
- eISBN:
- 9780520934719
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520255074.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, ...
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This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, and that its leader, Eunus, was in his own way as remarkable a man as Spartacus. The chapter further notes that the main evidence for the revolt and its background is to be found in Diodorus Siculus. It reports that Diodurus was a Sicilian, from Agyrium; that his account post-dates the revolt by less than a century; and that he may have drawn material from the Greek philosopher and historian Posidonius—himself, like Eunus, a native of Apamea. Posidonius was widely traveled and had an interest in the problem of slavery.Less
This chapter discusses the Roman slave revolts of the second and early first centuries bc. It notes that although the first Sicilian is little studied by historians, it contains some unique features, and that its leader, Eunus, was in his own way as remarkable a man as Spartacus. The chapter further notes that the main evidence for the revolt and its background is to be found in Diodorus Siculus. It reports that Diodurus was a Sicilian, from Agyrium; that his account post-dates the revolt by less than a century; and that he may have drawn material from the Greek philosopher and historian Posidonius—himself, like Eunus, a native of Apamea. Posidonius was widely traveled and had an interest in the problem of slavery.
Trinity Jackman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748621255
- eISBN:
- 9780748651047
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748621255.003.0015
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
Ducetius, a native Sicel, created a synteleia, or federation, that at its height controlled a large portion of east-central Sicily. Yet, although the corpus of work that aims to decipher Ducetius' ...
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Ducetius, a native Sicel, created a synteleia, or federation, that at its height controlled a large portion of east-central Sicily. Yet, although the corpus of work that aims to decipher Ducetius' ethnic identity continues to grow, political historians — who generally pass over Ducetius completely in discussions of Sicilian tyranny — have ignored the broader implications of his territorial and political conquests. This chapter first gives a brief account of the life of Ducetius as recounted by Diodorus Siculus. It then examines the nature of Ducetius' synteleia and his role in Sicel politics, arguing that his importance in Sicel state-formation is often overemphasised. It also places Ducetius in the context of current discussions of the ‘Hellenisation’ of native peoples. Finally, the chapter locates Ducetius' synteleia within the trend towards the creation of multi-poleis states and alliances in Sicily, and suggests that redistributing land, relocating populations and refounding cities were not actions limited to Greek tyrants, but a response to the political realities of fifth-century Sicily.Less
Ducetius, a native Sicel, created a synteleia, or federation, that at its height controlled a large portion of east-central Sicily. Yet, although the corpus of work that aims to decipher Ducetius' ethnic identity continues to grow, political historians — who generally pass over Ducetius completely in discussions of Sicilian tyranny — have ignored the broader implications of his territorial and political conquests. This chapter first gives a brief account of the life of Ducetius as recounted by Diodorus Siculus. It then examines the nature of Ducetius' synteleia and his role in Sicel politics, arguing that his importance in Sicel state-formation is often overemphasised. It also places Ducetius in the context of current discussions of the ‘Hellenisation’ of native peoples. Finally, the chapter locates Ducetius' synteleia within the trend towards the creation of multi-poleis states and alliances in Sicily, and suggests that redistributing land, relocating populations and refounding cities were not actions limited to Greek tyrants, but a response to the political realities of fifth-century Sicily.
Hans-Ulrich Wiemer
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199608409
- eISBN:
- 9780191745102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608409.003.0016
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
Though Polybius is on occasion critical of the Rhodian historian Zeno, his detailed knowledge of Rhodian activities in Lycia, and her dealings with Philip V and Antiochus III, and with Rome, points ...
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Though Polybius is on occasion critical of the Rhodian historian Zeno, his detailed knowledge of Rhodian activities in Lycia, and her dealings with Philip V and Antiochus III, and with Rome, points to Polybius making significant use of Zeno's historical work. Diodorus' writings on the legendary Rhodian past are also likely to reflect Zeno's treatment of this early period, especially in relation to the cult of Lindian Athena, reflecting the importance of local traditions and myths in much Hellenistic historiography. Diodorus' account of Demetrius Poliorcetes' siege of Rhodes may likewise usefully be read as reflecting a lively and patriotic account of the siege in Zeno, in keeping with Polybius' critique of Zeno and Antisthenes as historians who were too partial when writing about Rhodian history.Less
Though Polybius is on occasion critical of the Rhodian historian Zeno, his detailed knowledge of Rhodian activities in Lycia, and her dealings with Philip V and Antiochus III, and with Rome, points to Polybius making significant use of Zeno's historical work. Diodorus' writings on the legendary Rhodian past are also likely to reflect Zeno's treatment of this early period, especially in relation to the cult of Lindian Athena, reflecting the importance of local traditions and myths in much Hellenistic historiography. Diodorus' account of Demetrius Poliorcetes' siege of Rhodes may likewise usefully be read as reflecting a lively and patriotic account of the siege in Zeno, in keeping with Polybius' critique of Zeno and Antisthenes as historians who were too partial when writing about Rhodian history.
Lisa Irene Hau
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748680108
- eISBN:
- 9780748697007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748680108.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter focuses on our surviving historiographic texts from the fifth to the first century BC : Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, and Diodorus of Sicily. Greek historiography dealt with ...
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This chapter focuses on our surviving historiographic texts from the fifth to the first century BC : Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, and Diodorus of Sicily. Greek historiography dealt with a limited number of types of situations and within these situations was concerned with a limited number of themes. This observation leads to a preliminary typology of such stock events and their concomitant themes, or topoi. There are four other distinct characteristics of Greek historiography: interest in causation, didactic purpose (practical or moral), even-handedness in narrative treatment of opponents in conflict, and alternation between remote, omniscient narration – feigning non-narration – and involved, polemical first-person argumentation. Although none of these traits is in itself uniquely Greek, the specific combination of them seen in these five historiographers is.Less
This chapter focuses on our surviving historiographic texts from the fifth to the first century BC : Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, and Diodorus of Sicily. Greek historiography dealt with a limited number of types of situations and within these situations was concerned with a limited number of themes. This observation leads to a preliminary typology of such stock events and their concomitant themes, or topoi. There are four other distinct characteristics of Greek historiography: interest in causation, didactic purpose (practical or moral), even-handedness in narrative treatment of opponents in conflict, and alternation between remote, omniscient narration – feigning non-narration – and involved, polemical first-person argumentation. Although none of these traits is in itself uniquely Greek, the specific combination of them seen in these five historiographers is.
Wendy Heller
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520209336
- eISBN:
- 9780520919341
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520209336.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Opera developed during a time when the position of women—their rights and freedoms, their virtues and vices, and even the most basic substance of their sexuality—was constantly debated. Many of these ...
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Opera developed during a time when the position of women—their rights and freedoms, their virtues and vices, and even the most basic substance of their sexuality—was constantly debated. Many of these controversies manifested themselves in the representation of the historical and mythological women whose voices were heard on the Venetian operatic stage. Drawing upon a complex web of early modern sources and ancient texts, this book is a study of women, gender, and sexuality in seventeenth-century opera. The author explores the operatic manifestations of female chastity, power, transvestitism, androgyny, and desire, showing how the emerging genre was shaped by and infused with the Republic's taste for the erotic and its ambivalent attitudes toward women and sexuality. The book begins by examining contemporary Venetian writing about gender and sexuality that influenced the development of female vocality in opera. The Venetian reception and transformation of ancient texts—by Ovid, Virgil, Tacitus, and Diodorus Siculus—form the background for an analysis of the musical and dramatic representation of five extraordinary women as presented in operas by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, and their successors in Venice: Dido, queen of Carthage (Cavalli); Octavia, wife of Nero (Monteverdi); the nymph Callisto (Cavalli); Queen Semiramis of Assyria (Pietro Andrea Ziani); and Messalina, wife of Claudius (Carlo Pallavicino).Less
Opera developed during a time when the position of women—their rights and freedoms, their virtues and vices, and even the most basic substance of their sexuality—was constantly debated. Many of these controversies manifested themselves in the representation of the historical and mythological women whose voices were heard on the Venetian operatic stage. Drawing upon a complex web of early modern sources and ancient texts, this book is a study of women, gender, and sexuality in seventeenth-century opera. The author explores the operatic manifestations of female chastity, power, transvestitism, androgyny, and desire, showing how the emerging genre was shaped by and infused with the Republic's taste for the erotic and its ambivalent attitudes toward women and sexuality. The book begins by examining contemporary Venetian writing about gender and sexuality that influenced the development of female vocality in opera. The Venetian reception and transformation of ancient texts—by Ovid, Virgil, Tacitus, and Diodorus Siculus—form the background for an analysis of the musical and dramatic representation of five extraordinary women as presented in operas by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, and their successors in Venice: Dido, queen of Carthage (Cavalli); Octavia, wife of Nero (Monteverdi); the nymph Callisto (Cavalli); Queen Semiramis of Assyria (Pietro Andrea Ziani); and Messalina, wife of Claudius (Carlo Pallavicino).
Stephen Scully
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190253967
- eISBN:
- 9780190253981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190253967.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the reception of the Theogony in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, with special attention to the Alexandrian poets, the Stoic view of an all-powerful Zeus creator-god, and ...
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This chapter examines the reception of the Theogony in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, with special attention to the Alexandrian poets, the Stoic view of an all-powerful Zeus creator-god, and Euheremus’s Sacred History in the Hellenistic period. In the Roman period, Ovid parodies the Theogony in his Metamorphoses and Lucian never ties of making fun of Hesiod’s poem while Christian apologists assault it, taking seriously what Lucian finds amusing.Less
This chapter examines the reception of the Theogony in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, with special attention to the Alexandrian poets, the Stoic view of an all-powerful Zeus creator-god, and Euheremus’s Sacred History in the Hellenistic period. In the Roman period, Ovid parodies the Theogony in his Metamorphoses and Lucian never ties of making fun of Hesiod’s poem while Christian apologists assault it, taking seriously what Lucian finds amusing.
Matthew D. C. Larsen
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190848583
- eISBN:
- 9780190848613
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190848583.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Connected with textual unfinishedness are several concepts. Chapter 3 explores two such concepts and their connection to the idea of textual stability and authorial intentionality: accidental ...
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Connected with textual unfinishedness are several concepts. Chapter 3 explores two such concepts and their connection to the idea of textual stability and authorial intentionality: accidental publication and postpublication revision. Unfinished texts often became what Larsen calls “accidentally published.” Publication was notional and social in antiquity, as the form of a published text would not necessarily differ from an unfinished one. The idea of accidental publication did a lot of different kinds of work for different writers. Moreover, even if a text was intentionally published, it could undergo substantive postpublication revision. All of the above calls into question what it means to talk about a “final” version of a textual tradition.Less
Connected with textual unfinishedness are several concepts. Chapter 3 explores two such concepts and their connection to the idea of textual stability and authorial intentionality: accidental publication and postpublication revision. Unfinished texts often became what Larsen calls “accidentally published.” Publication was notional and social in antiquity, as the form of a published text would not necessarily differ from an unfinished one. The idea of accidental publication did a lot of different kinds of work for different writers. Moreover, even if a text was intentionally published, it could undergo substantive postpublication revision. All of the above calls into question what it means to talk about a “final” version of a textual tradition.
