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 Caesar 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.