Ch. 3. Implied Motivation in Diodorus’ Narrative of the Successors

Abstract

This chapter examines the issue of implied motivation in Diodorus’ narrative of the Successors, Bibliotheke Books XVIII–XX. It focuses on the depiction of three individuals, Peukestas, Peithon, and Polyperchon, and argues that Diodorus preserves evidence of a sophisticated and layered narrative that combined historical narrative with a critical dissection of individuals’ thoughts and motives. The use of embedded focalisation within the text reveals an interest in a hermeneutic approach to history which, while likely not Diodorus’ own, was preserved by him because it fit the moral-didactic programme of Diodorus’ Bibliotheke. Published in Alexander Meeus, ed., Narrative in Hellenistic Historiography (HISTOS Supplement 8), p. 69-114.