Diodorus' Mythistory and the Pagan Mission

Historiography and Culture-Heroes in the First Pentad of the Bibliotheke
Erscheinungsjahr 2011
ISBN: 978-90-04-19406-9
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 331, 412 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 835 g

Reihe: Mnemosyne, Supplements

The traditional Diodoran scholarship has been challenged in the last decades by a revisionist approach, which concentrates on Diodorus Siculus’ contribution rather than on his lost sources. Building on that approach, this book focuses on the Bibliotheke’s first pentad, which has usually been neglected as a subject of research, and explores the author’s 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.

Zielgruppe

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sulimani, Iris

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Hellenismus
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historiographie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein Historische Geographie, Landkarten & Atlanten
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Griechische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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

Über Autor(innen)

Sulimani, Iris
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 Semiramis’ journey in Diodorus (SCI 24, 2005), and on Diodorus' source-citations (Athenaeum 96, 2008).