The ancient Greek achievement in the writing of history has set the standard but the nature of this achievement is looking increasingly problematic in the light of recent work on such topics as literacy, orality, rhetoric, narrative technique, and the invention of tradition. This book contributes to the understanding of both the achievement and the problems of Greek historiography in a series of contributions by a group of distinguished scholars.

The introduction by the editor traces the story of Greek historiography from archaic times to imperial Rome, and then discusses the intertextual relationship of the Greek historians to each other and to other kinds of discourse. The first contributor writes on historical explanation from Hecataeus to Polybius, and this is followed by contributions on Herodotus, Thucydides, Theophrastus, and Diodorus of Sicily, with further essays on the tradition about the First Sacred War, and on the Persian War theme in the Roman Empire.