Diodorus Siculus

Diodorus Siculus attempted to provide a complete exposition of the whole course of human history, from the mythical period to the beginning of Caesar’s Gallic campaigns. In spite of its fragmentary transmission, Diodorus’ Library is our principal source for several phases of antiquity. Through a close analysis of its proem (1.1–5), this chapter aims at de ning Diodorus’ place in the complex tradition of ancient historiography with universal ambitions, gauging the novelty of his project, and grasping its links with the age of Pompey and Caesar. In the Roman universal empire, Diodorus overcomes the civic dimensions of historiography, emphasizes the common kinship of the entire human race, and calls on the Roman authorities to model their behaviour on the benevolent attitude of the great civilizing heroes extolled in the early books of the Library, who had spread peace and prosperity all over the world. It is also possible that Diodorus Siculus played a signi cant role in transmitting the theme of exemplarity to early modern historiography, and to Machiavelli in particular.