The Routledge Companion to Strabo by Daniela Dueck

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS/COMPTES RENDUS 411 Sesostris, do not become gods because they do not meet Diodorus’ high standards for deifying a ruler, which were inspired by late Hellenistic kings such as Ptolemy xii of Egypt, under whom the Hellenistic ruler cult “had veered increasingly into caricature” (165). However, not all Muntz’s arguments are convincing. To begin with, he underestimates Alexander the Great’s impact on Diodorus and overlooks Diodorus’ high regard for his fellow countrymen (such as Gelon). Furthermore, how does Muntz’s theory fit with Diodorus’ description of Sesostris as a sovereign who expanded his realm, brought peace to his subjects, and let them enjoy it, which is similar to Virgil’s depiction of Augustus? The final section of this chapter engages with Diodorus’ contribution to the debate over ruler cult in Rome and his justification for Caesar’s deification. In Chapter Six, Muntz analyzes Diodorus’ perception of the ideal sovereign. Like several contemporary authors, Diodorus maintains that the Roman republic declined due primarily to the corruption of its leaders, who pursued luxury and wealth. Muntz argues that Diodorus may have indirectly commented on the Roman republic via his account of Assyria, which decayed owing to its depraved rulers, while promoting his preferred form of government—monarchy at its best—via his account of Egypt, which enjoyed prosperity and longevity under its good kings. The final chapter explores how the Roman civil wars affected the composition of the Bibliotheke. Believing that Diodorus completed Books 1–3 between 46 and 42 b.c.e., and accepting the traditional date of 30 b.c.e. for the completion of the entire work, Muntz argues that since Diodorus elaborated on Dionysus and Egypt in his opening books and since his accounts of them contained controversial issues of the late republican period, he thought it dangerous to publish these books in the political climate of the 30s b.c.e. Diodorus’ attempts to adjust his work to rapidly changing political circumstances could well explain the inconsistencies pervading its first pentad. However intriguing, some of Muntz’s conjectures are too speculative. Undeniably, scholars are allowed a certain number of “well-supported speculations” in order to initiate significant readings of the past,5 yet statements such as “perhaps Diodorus did see himself as a supporter of Antony” (244) are not well supported; no notion would be, founded on so many sentences starting with “perhaps.” These reservations aside, Muntz presents a worthy study, one that does justice to an author unjustly depreciated. His appropriately key themes—Diodorus’ originality, his kinship with the intellectual world of Rome, and his use of accounts of barbarians to discuss contemporary issues—are voiced throughout the book, serving as the thread that connects all its chapters. The Open University of Israel Iris Sulimani The Routledge Companion to Strabo. Dirigé par Daniela Dueck. London, New York : Routledge. 2017. Pp. xiv, 407. L'ouvrage dirig e par Daniela Dueck réunit un ensemble d’articles dont l’objectif est de donner une image globale et actualisée de Strabon et de son œuvre, tant pour le grand 5 To use the words of P. E. Bolin, “Imagination and Speculation as Historical Impulse: Engaging Uncertainties within Art Education History and Historiography,” Studies in Art Education 50 (2009) 110–123. 412 PHOENIX public — un public averti et déjà bien versé dans les études classiques tant les articles supposent une bonne connaissance préalable de l’œuvre — que pour le public spécialisé du monde universitaire : faire le point sur certains thèmes privilégiés et offrir quelques nouvelles pistes d’études, sans prétendre à une exhaustivité que le lecteur ne trouvera pas et pour laquelle il ne pourra se passer de lire les introductions et commentaires des éditions et traductions de référence. Les chapitres sont regroupés en quatre parties thématiques : le point de vue de Strabon (partie I, trois chapitres), la Géographie (partie II, subdivisée en six sections et vingt-deux chapitres), l’œuvre historiographique (partie III, un chapitre) et la réception, dans l’Antiquité et à la Renaissance (partie IV, deux chapitres). Suivent des index : les références a...