具体描述
Only one surviving source provides a continuous narrative of Greek history from Xerxes' invasion to the Wars of the Successors following the death of Alexander the Great - the "Bibliotheke", or 'Library', produced by Sicilian historian Diodorus Siculus (ca. 90-30 BCE). Yet generations of scholars have disdained Diodorus as a spectacularly unintelligent copyist who only reproduced, and often mangled, the works of earlier historians. Arguing for a thorough critical reappraisal of Diodorus as a minor but far from idiotic historian himself, Peter Green published "Diodorus Siculus, Books 11-12.37.1", a fresh translation, with extensive commentary, of the portion of Diodorus' history dealing with the period 480-431 BCE, the so-called 'Golden Age' of Athens. This is the only recent modern English translation of the "Bibliotheke" in existence. In the present volume - the first of two covering Diodorus' text up to the death of Alexander - Green expands his translation of Diodorus up to Athens' defeat after the Peloponnesian War. In contrast to the full scholarly apparatus in his earlier volume (the translation of which is incorporated) the present volume's purpose is to give students, teachers, and general readers an accessible version of Diodorus' history. Its introduction and notes are especially designed for this audience and provide an up-to-date overview of fifth-century Greece during the years that saw the unparalleled flowering of drama, architecture, philosophy, historiography, and the visual arts for which Greece still remains famous.
作者简介
目录信息
读后感
用户评价
这本书的价值远超出了单纯的历史叙事，它更像是一面映照我们自身时代的镜子。通过对古代战争、联盟瓦解和民主体制脆弱性的描摹，我们能够清晰地看到人类社会治理中永恒的难题。雅典的辉煌与最终的衰落，其中的教训对于我们今天所处的复杂多变的国际环境，依然具有极强的警示意义。作者在结尾部分的总结虽然克制，但其力量是穿透人心的，它没有给出简单的答案，而是提出了更深刻的问题——如何在权力、自由与秩序之间找到一个可持续的平衡点？我合上书本时，脑海中久久回荡的，不是某一场战役的细节，而是关于人性、命运与历史必然性的沉重思考。这是一次酣畅淋漓的精神洗礼，值得所有对人类文明轨迹感兴趣的读者细细品味。
这本书的语言风格变化多端，这使得长篇的历史阅读过程保持了极高的可读性。在描述重大的政治谈判或外交斡旋时，作者的语言变得庄重而富有哲理，充满了对人性弱点和政治智慧的洞察。然而，一旦场景切换到战场或是民众的日常叙事中，文字又变得生动鲜活，充满了烟火气。这种灵活的切换，极大地避免了纯粹史学著作可能带来的枯燥感。我个人非常喜欢那些关于城邦内部社会结构的侧写，它们揭示了在宏大战争叙事背后，普通人的挣扎、信仰的转变以及文化观念的碰撞。作者似乎有着一种魔力，能让两千多年前的人物重新“活”起来，他们的喜怒哀乐不再是抽象的名字，而是有血有肉的个体。这种人性化的处理，是很多历史作品所欠缺的宝贵品质。
作为一部严肃的学术著作，这本书的理论框架无疑是扎实的，但真正让我拍案叫绝的是它对“视角”的不断反思与转换。作者并未完全将自己置于某一方的立场上，而是试图从更广阔的地中海世界的角度去审视这些冲突的根源和后果。这种多重视角的运用，极大地提升了作品的深度和包容性。在探讨波斯帝国的行政管理体系时，作者展现出的赞赏，与在论述希腊城邦的个人自由时所流露出的维护，达到了奇妙的平衡，令人深思：在不同的历史条件下，何为“进步”，何为“文明”。它挑战了许多既定的“西方中心论”观点，提供了一个更具批判性和全球视野的解读空间。阅读过程中，我常常需要停下来，消化这些复杂的论点，并不断修正自己原有的认知结构。
这本书的封面设计简直是艺术品的再现，那种古典的字体和深沉的色调立刻将你拉回到那个遥远的时代。装帧的质感也非常好，拿在手里沉甸甸的，让人感觉物有所值。我一直对那个时期的历史抱着强烈的好奇心，尤其是关于波斯和希腊文明的冲突与交融。这本书的排版非常清晰，注释系统也做得十分到位，即使是初次接触这类严肃历史著作的读者，也能很快找到阅读的节奏。我特别欣赏作者在叙事中保持的那种冷静而客观的笔触，没有过多的煽情，只是将史实如同画卷般徐徐展开，让读者自己去体会历史的重量。光是阅读导言部分，我就感觉自己仿佛站在了历史的十字路口，面对着两大文明的碰撞，那种心潮澎湃的感觉，真是难以言喻。这本书的引人入胜之处，首先就在于它成功地营造了一种身临其境的氛围，让你渴望一探究竟。
读完前几章，我最大的感受是作者在史料的驾驭能力上展现出的非凡功力。从零散的考古发现到古代文献的互相印证，他构建了一个逻辑严密、细节丰满的历史图景。特别是他对战役细节的描写，那种对地理环境、军事部署乃至士兵心理的细致刻画，简直像是在看一部高清晰度的历史纪录片。很多我们习以为常的历史概念，在作者的重新梳理下，被赋予了全新的理解维度。例如，他对雅典民主的兴衰与军事行动之间复杂关联的剖析，就远超出了教科书式的简单描述。我甚至会时不时地停下来，去查阅地图，试图想象当时的部队是如何在崎岖的山路上行进，又如何在关键时刻做出决策的。这本书不仅仅是记录过去，更像是一次对历史思维的深度训练，强迫你去思考“为什么”而不是仅仅接受“是什么”。
199/332. after this, now i'm awed by these chronicles. the readability soars since the expendition to sicily, but i'm already mentally broken. maybe later, when the whole version is available, and my reading skills improves significantly.
199/332. after this, now i'm awed by these chronicles. the readability soars since the expendition to sicily, but i'm already mentally broken. maybe later, when the whole version is available, and my reading skills improves significantly.
199/332. after this, now i'm awed by these chronicles. the readability soars since the expendition to sicily, but i'm already mentally broken. maybe later, when the whole version is available, and my reading skills improves significantly.
199/332. after this, now i'm awed by these chronicles. the readability soars since the expendition to sicily, but i'm already mentally broken. maybe later, when the whole version is available, and my reading skills improves significantly.
199/332. after this, now i'm awed by these chronicles. the readability soars since the expendition to sicily, but i'm already mentally broken. maybe later, when the whole version is available, and my reading skills improves significantly.
