Historiography at the End of the Republic

This is a study of six historians from different corners of the Roman empire at the end of the Republic. All these writers accept the new ruling power, but comment on how that power might best be used. They therefore provide a unique insight into the minds of the conquered peoples and the intellectual culture which allowed them to influence their conquerors.
This study of six historians from the edges of the Roman world at the end of the Republic - the author of I Maccabees, Posidonius, Diodorus Siculus, Pompeius Trogus, Nicolaus of Damascus, and Memnon of Heraclea - combines discussion of their biographical details, the intellectual and elite culture in which they composed, and the methodological difficulties of interpreting fragmentary texts, with textual analysis of their representations of Rome. These authors show
remarkable unity in their acceptance of Roman hegemony. Nevertheless, their interpretations of Roman rule assume political significance in the light of their intentions in writing and the audiences whom they addressed. They therefore provide a unique insight into the minds of the conquered peoples and
the intellectual culture which allowed them to influence their conquerors.