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Rating: 
Summary: After Alexander
Review: Plutarch tends to be moralistic and tangential. Thucydides slows down his narrative with an abundance of detail and set speeches. If you want a good, straightforward "rumpty tumpty" presentation of exciting and dramatic historical events, then Diodorus is your man. He doesn't shy away either from describing violence and brutality when necessary. Although Plutarch's characterization and Thucydides's clarity are beyond compare, Diodorus's history can compete because its sweep is so much grander. In this volume from the Loeb Classical Library, Greek on one page, English on the other, Diodorus clearly and effectively tells us about one of the most dramatic periods of World History, the period following the death of Alexander when the vast, newly-conquered empire was fought over and carved up by his generals. Covering the years 323BC to 315BC, he tells us of the initial attempts to keep the empire together when the brilliant non-Macedonian general, Eumenes, showed greater loyalty to Alexander's family than any Macedonian, only to be tragically betrayed by one of the most unique fighting elites in history, the Silver Shields, a phalanx of grizzled veterans aged between 50 and 80 who were invincible in battle. We encounter the popular and fair-minded Ptolemy, founder of the Egyptian dynasty that lasted until the reign of Cleopatra, as well as the ruthless Antigonus, a brilliant general who needed all his luck to overcome the even more gifted Eumenes in a campaign fought on the high plains of Iran. As a mark of Diodorus's fairness, even the most ruthless characters like Cassander, responsible for the deaths of Alexander's mother, wife, and child, are presented with redeeming features, and, indeed, this is hardly the simple tale of good versus evil so beloved by Hollywood. The details of warfare are particularly interesting as this was a time when Elephants from India had become an important offensive weapon that had to be countered. There are also some interesting details about Indian customs and those of other diverse peoples. In the side margin of each page there is a date so that the chronology is always clear, and any omissions by Diodorus are effectively dealt with by excellent footnotes which provide cross-references with other historical sources. In accordance with the particularly grand sweep of the events presented, the maps in this volume include a large foldout map at the back depicting the Conquests of Alexander.
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