Drafting the Bibliotheke. Diodorus Siculus’ Writing Process

Abstract

Summary The article offers a new perspective on the organization of Diodorus Siculus’ process of writing the Bibliotheke Historike. By analyzing passage 1.4.6 and fragment 40.8 in terms of both the vocabulary used and their function within the narrative, the article argues for the interpretation that Diodorus created an extended draft of his work (hypothesis) before dividing it into individual books. This interpretation is further strengthened by the analysis of the compositional features of the Bibliotheke. The analysis of the distribution of material between the books suggests that Diodorus in general had a very good idea about the amount of space he needed for different periods. At the same time, the presence of the unfulfilled declarations concerning the missing material suggests that the division has been made before the work has been brought to completion. Proposed interpretation is also congruent with what we know about the ancient authors’ writing process. The article argues that the final division into books, taking place after the unauthorized publication of some books referred to in 40.8, constituted a defining point for the Bibliotheke as we know it. Such a perspective opens various possibilities, e.g. that after making the final division, Diodorus was no longer constrained to work in chronological order. It also opens a possibility that the Bibliotheke was not as close to being finished as it is usually assumed.