DIODORUS, an historian, surnamed Siculus, because
he was born at Argyra, in Sicily. He wrote a history of
Egypt, Persia, Syria, Media, Greece, Rome, and Carthage;
and it is said that he visited all the places of which
he has made mention in his history, which occupied the
labour of thirty years. He is, however, too credulous in
some of his narrations, and frequently wanders far from
the truth. He often dwells too long upon fabulous reports
and trifling incidents; whilst events of the greatest im-
portance to history are treated with brevity, and sometimes
passed over in silence. He lived in the age of Julius Cæsar
and Augustus; and spent much time at Rome in order to
procure information, and authenticate his historical narra-
tions. This important work, which he composed in Greek,
contained forty books, of which there are only fifteen re-
maining. The style is clear and neat, and very suitable
to history. The best edition is that of Wesseling, Amster-
dam, 1745, in 2 vols. folio, with very learned and judicious
remarks. It has been reprinted with important additions
by the society of Deux-Ponts, 1793-1801, in 11 vols. 8vo.
The Latin translation of Poggio, Bologna, 1742, folio, is
very incomplete, and only sought after by reason of its
scarcity. Diodorus Siculus has been translated into French
by Terrasson, Paris, 1737, in 7 vols. 12mo.