With this sizeable commentary M. – a prolific scholar on the early Hellenistic age in general and the Successor Wars specifically – provides a timely and valuable contribution to the growing field of studies and handbooks that will shed light on the (sometimes agonisingly) complicated military and political history of the eastern Mediterranean in the years immediately following the death of Alexander the Great. In focusing on Book 19 of Diodorus’ Bibliotheke, the commentary covers the years 318–311 bce, which included key developments such as Kasandros’ activities in Macedonia and Greece; the tail end of the conflict between Antigonos Monophthalmos and Eumenes; the military interests of Polemaios and others in Asia Minor; and Seleukos’ conquest of Persia. It should be noted that the commentary does not include events occurring in Sicily (notably the rise of the tyrant Agathocles), which Diodorus had interspersed within his narrative of the Successor Wars. M. states that they have been omitted since they present a host of additional and different problems of interpretation (pp. 1–2). Arguably, however, the Sicilian events are relevant from a historiographical point of view, not least because of the similarities between the Hellenistic kings and the rise of Agathokles (see e.g. Diod. 19.9 for deliberate comparison).

As noted by M. in the introduction, there has long been a surprising dearth of scholarly interest in Diodorus Siculus’ Bibliotheke, with the last full commentary being that by P. Wesseling, which accompanied the 1745 edition of the text. However, that the tide has been turning is clear from a recent surge in interest in Diodorus as a historian and historiographical source. Together with other recent publications related to the period of the Successors – most notably, F. Landucci Gattinoni's 2008 commentary on part of Book 18, and that on Books 19 and 20 (published in 2021) –, M.'s commentary contributes strongly by providing an updated and accessible discussion of an important book of the Bibliotheke.

M. makes use of the 1975 text by F. Bizière in the Budé series. While there are several other relevant editions – he singles out, for example, the flawed but indispensable apparatus provided by C.T. Fischer in the Teubner series; and he cites the many new conjectures provided by R.M. Geer for the Loeb edition –, the Budé edition provides, he argues, ‘the most conservative text’ (p. 52) and therefore forms the basis of all lemmas within the commentary. Nonetheless, a brief appendix (pp. 618–19) gives M.'s preferred textual variants for instances where he disagrees with Bizière. As is customary for commentaries, M. prints the Greek on which comment is offered, but full translations of these excerpts are not provided.

The volume's value lies first and foremost in the help it will provide to both seasoned and novice readers in getting to grips with the historical narrative. In fact, as stated by M., the commentary's main aims are historical – that is to say, the commentary elucidates names of persons, institutions and places, whilst also offering analysis and comment on important historical events as well as Diodorus’ historiographical practice. The latter aspect is especially important in relation to the notorious difficulties presented by the Quellenforschung for the narrative of the Successor Wars.

As such, the commentary is preceded by a lengthy section (c. 100 pages) of preliminaries; this forms a comprehensive introduction to Diodorus and the Bibliotheke, focusing particularly on the issues relevant to the historical interpretation of the text. In doing so, M. offers an overview of previous scholarship and of his own thoughts: refusing to take a rigorous standpoint in the long-standing debate on the skill of Diodorus and on the historical value of the Bibliotheke, he states (p. 2) that his aim is not to rehabilitate Diodorus, but rather to generate a better understanding of his methods and works.

Accordingly, these preliminaries include discussion of the Bibliotheke, delving into questions of Diodorus’ concept of history and historical methods; of his sources; and of the selection, elaboration and organisation of material; there is also some insightful analysis of Diodorus’ language and style. From this it emerges that Diodorus was perhaps less of a ‘slavish epitomator’ as has long been assumed, but instead someone who carefully and consciously selected and arranged the material. Indeed, there emerge some recurrent thematic interests that may well have informed his historiographical approach: key examples of such are his clear interests in chronology and, as discussed below, a fascination with the changes in fortune that so often befell the grand figures of history – all of which neatly fits the often-moralising world view that the Bibliotheke professes.

M. provides detailed discussion of Diodorus’ potential sources – including relevant background information to major lost authors (such as Hieronymus of Kardia, Douris of Samos, Diyllos of Athens and Heketaios of Abdera) – as well as further emphasis on methodological issues in understanding and evaluating the Bibliotheke as a source for the Successor Wars. The focus remains historical, and particularly relevant is M.'s emphasis on the role of ‘propaganda’ (for lack of a better word) in contemporary sources, and the ways by which such can be detected, and which may have influenced, for example, Diodorus’ characterisation of historical figures.

The last section of introductory material includes a useful overview of the infamous problems of the chronology of these years, usefully supported by a table with alternative chronologies as well as that adhered to in the commentary. Despite all this coverage, it is a shame that the volume does not contain maps: while lesser-known locations are often discussed at length, maps would have been helpful reference-points for readers not fully familiar with the busy geographies of the conflicts.

We can briefly showcase M.'s approach and aims for his commentary in relation to Diodorus’ short impression of Seleukos’ return to Babylon in the Spring of 311 (Diod. 19.90–2), one of three short sections directly dealing with this Successor. Before delving into the details of a line-by-line discussion of the text, M. offers a short introduction to the relevance of this passage as well as a summary of the section's historical and historiographical context, highlighting, for instance, Diodorus’ narrative interest in the reversal of Seleukos’ fortunes. In terms of detailed commentary, at 90.1, for example, M. tackles reported troop numbers, reviewing all available sources and scholarly debates on their reliability. At 90.4, where it is related that Seleukos had been greeted as ‘King Seleukos’ by the Branchidai at Didyma, M. explores the history of the oracle; the relationship between Seleukos and Didyma and the propagation of Apollo as ancestor of the Seleucid dynasty; and our understanding of fragments of other sources detailing this event – here flagging the potential of Seleucid propaganda. At 91.2 M. emphasises Diodorus’ language and style, analysing the use of ‘number-year’ formulations to indicate time (e.g. τετραετῆ γὰρ χρόνον) as specific to Diodorus, with numerous parallels cited. As a final example, we can point to 91.4, where, supported by an extensive bibliography, M. reviews the Babylonian evidence related to these events.

Drawing on his detailed knowledge of the period concerned, M. has produced a welcome and thorough commentary that will doubtlessly become an indispensable companion for those studying the wars of the Successors or those with more general interests in the problematic historiography of Diodorus.