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Diodorus' Mythistory and the Pagan Mission
Historiography and Culture-heroes in the First Pentad of the Bibliotheke
Series: - Mnemosyne, Supplements, Volume: 331
Author:
The traditional Diodoran scholarship has been challenged in the last decades by a revisionist approach, which concentrates on Diodorus Siculusâ contribution rather than on his lost sources. Building on that approach, this book focuses on the Bibliothekeâs first pentad, which has usually been neglected as a subject of research, and explores the authorâs depictions of journeys made by gods and culture-heroes. A thorough investigation of his historiographical methods and his representation of mythical figures demonstrates that the mythological narrative is not only an essential part of his universal history, but also an important supplement to our knowledge of Hellenistic civilization, especially its mentality and historical geography.
Iris Sulimani, Ph.D. (2004) in History, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, teaches at the Hebrew University and the University of Haifa. She has published articles on Semiramisâ journey in Diodorus (SCI 24, 2005), and on Diodorus' source-citations (Athenaeum 96, 2008).
"Overall, the book is a valuable contribution to Diodoran scholarship. It is, to the best of my knowledge, only the second monograph on Diodorus to be published in English, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in this controversial author." Lisa I. Hau in sehepunkte, 12 (2012), Nr. 5
"[...] one of the most significant contributions to Diodoran studies in recent years." Stanley M. Burstein in Scripta Classica Israelica, Vol. 31, 2012
"[...] one of the most significant contributions to Diodoran studies in recent years." Stanley M. Burstein in Scripta Classica Israelica, Vol. 31, 2012
Part I ORIGINALITY IN DIODORUS' HISTORIOGRAPHY
Chapter 1 The Genre: Universal History
Chapter 2 The Use of Sources: Diodorus' Predecessors and His Own Contribution
Chapter 3 Working Methods: Emphasis on Organization and Orderly Discussions
Part II MYTH AND HISTORY IN DIODORUS' FIRST FIVE BOOKS
Chapter 1 Mythical History and Actual Geography: Legendary Heroes Wandering along Real Paths
Chapter 2 The Pagan Mission: Mythical Heroes in the Service of Mankind
Chapter 3 Missionaries and Recipients: The Relationships between Diodorus' Heroes and their Addressees
Chapter 1 The Genre: Universal History
Chapter 2 The Use of Sources: Diodorus' Predecessors and His Own Contribution
Chapter 3 Working Methods: Emphasis on Organization and Orderly Discussions
Part II MYTH AND HISTORY IN DIODORUS' FIRST FIVE BOOKS
Chapter 1 Mythical History and Actual Geography: Legendary Heroes Wandering along Real Paths
Chapter 2 The Pagan Mission: Mythical Heroes in the Service of Mankind
Chapter 3 Missionaries and Recipients: The Relationships between Diodorus' Heroes and their Addressees
All those interested in the history of the ancient world, Hellenistic civilization and mentaility, ancient religion, mythology, Greek and Latin historiography, universal history, and historical geography