Non-Fiction
18 Best Non-Fiction Books About Classical Historiography
Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.
Phase
Classical Historiography
500 BCE–250 CE
Classical historiography developed from Greek inquiry and military narrative into Roman annalistic, biographical and imperial history. Writers such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Livy, Tacitus, Plutarch and Josephus shaped later ideas of evidence, causation, character and political decline.
These works are historical sources as well as literary artefacts. They turn battles, trials, speeches, dynasties and disasters into arguments about power, character, fortune and civic identity.
On the books site this context is useful for primary classical texts, translations and retellings that belong beside historical fiction because they provide the narrative frameworks later novelists reuse.
Related people for Classical Historiography
Alexander of Lyncestisc. 5th century BCE–331 BCE Alexander the Great357 BCE–324 BCE Antigonus I Monophthalmus383 BCE–302 BCE Antipater398 BCE–320 BCE Aristotle385 BCE–323 BCE Arrianc. 85–90 AD – c. 160 Augustus64 BCE–14 Bagoasc. 5th century BCE–c. 4th century BCE Boudica30–61 Cassander356 BCE–297 BCE Catilinec. 108–62 BCE Cicero107 BCE–44 BCE Cleopatra70 BCE–31 BCE Darius Ic. 550–486 BCE Darius III381 BCE–331 BCE Dion of Syracuse410 BCE–355 BCE Dionysius II of Syracuse398 BCE–344 BCE Eurydice II of Macedon337 BCE–318 BCE Hadrian76–138 Hannibal247–c. 183 BCE Hephaestion357 BCE–325 BCE Herodotus485 BCE–426 BCE Josephus37–100 Julius Caesar101 BCE–45 BCE Livy60 BCE–17 Marcus Junius Brutus86 BCE–43 BCE Mark Antony83–30 BCE Nero37–68 Olympias376 BCE–317 BCE Parmenion401 BCE–330 BCE Perdiccas366 BCE–322 BCE Philip III of Macedon360 BCE–318 BCE Philip II of Macedonc. 382–336 BCE Pompey106–48 BCE Ptolemy I Soterc. 360s BCE–c. 280s BCE Roxana348 BCE–311 BCE Sallust87 BCE–36 BCE Scipio Africanusc. 236–c. 183 BCE Socrates471 BCE–400 BCE Sullac. 138–78 BCE Thucydidesc. 460s BCE–396 BCE Tiberius43 BCE–37 Titus39–81 Vespasian9–79 Xenophon431 BCE–355 BCE Xerxes I520 BCE–466 BCE
