Drafting the Bibliotheke : Diodorus Siculus’ writing process

The article offers a new perspective on the organization of Diodorus Siculus’ process of writing the Bibliotheke Historike. By analyzing passage 1.4.6 and fragment 40.8 in terms of both the vocabulary used and their function within the narrative, the article argues for the interpretation that Diodorus created an extended draft of his work (hypothesis) before dividing it into individual books. This interpretation is further strengthened by the analysis of the compositional features of the Bibliotheke. The analysis of the distribution of material between the books suggests that Diodorus in general had a very good idea about the amount of space he needed for different periods. At the same time, the presence of the unfulfilled declarations concerning the missing material suggests that the division has been made before the work has been brought to completion. Proposed interpretation is also congruent with what we know about the ancient authors’ writing process. The article argues that the final division into books, taking place after the unauthorized publication of some books referred to in 40.8, constituted a defining point for the Bibliotheke as we know it. Such a perspective opens various possibilities, e.g. that after making the final division, Diodorus was no longer constrained to work in chronological order. It also opens a possibility that the Bibliotheke was not as close to being finished as it is usually assumed

The role of bendamustine in chronic lymphocytic leukemia with particular focus on the treatment of elderly patients

Przewlekła białaczka limfocytowa (CLL) jest najczęstszą postacią białaczki diagnozowanej u osób dorosłych. Wybór schematu leczenia oraz jego intensywność powinny być dostosowane indywidualnie do każdego chorego, z których większość ma ponad 65 lat i często wiele schorzeń współistniejących. Bendamustyna (BEN) jest odkrytym na nowo cytostatykiem łączącym właściwości fizykochemiczne oraz farmakologiczne leków alkilujących i analogów purynowych. W niniejszym artykule skoncentrowano się na omówieniu właściwości BEN, analizie skuteczności tego leku w CLL oraz ocenie profilu bezpieczeństwa substancji i miejsca w leczeniu chorych na CLL.Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia diagnosed in adults. Selecting the proper treatment regimen, and its intensity should be adjusted individually for each patient — most of them are over 65 years-old and have often multiple comorbidities. Bendamustine (BEN) is rediscovered cytotoxic agent combining physicochemical and pharmacological properties of alkylating agents and purine analogues. This article focuses on the presentation of the substance, the analysis of effectiveness of BEN in CLL and the assessment of the drug safety profile and its role in the treatment of patients with CLL

Analysis of ibrutinib efficacy in a subgroup of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with 17p deletion: observational study of the Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG)

BackgroundThe 17p deletion is regarded as the strongest poor prognostic factor in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Results of recently performed clinical trials have suggested that ibrutinib significantly improves the outcome in this patient group.AimThe study aimed at analyzing the efficacy and adverse events profile of ibrutinib monotherapy in CLL patients with 17p deletion treated in routine clinical practice outside clinical trials.Materials and MethodsClinical response and adverse events profile of ibrutinib monotherapy were assessed in thirty-five CLL patients with 17p deletion treated within the ibrutinib named patients program in Poland.ResultsOverall response rate was 80% (28/35 patients) with median observation time of 24.2 months (range 0,1 – 30,9). Complete remission was observed in 5 patients (14.3%), partial remission in 11 (31.4%), partial remission with lymphocytosis in 13 (37.1%), whereas stable disease and progression was noted in 4 (11.4%) and 1 (2.9%) respectively. Response was not assessed in 1 patient. Median progression-free survival was 29.5 months, whereas median overall survival was not reached. Eleven patients died (7 because of infection, 1 of CLL progression, 1 of sudden cardiac death, 1 of disseminated breast cancer and 1 of unknown causes). In 13 patients (37.1%) at least one 3 or 4 grade adverse event occurred. In 11 patients (31.4%) the treatment was temporary withheld or the dose reduced due to adverse events.ConclusionIbrutinib is characterized by high clinical efficacy and acceptable toxicity in CLL patients with 17p deletion in daily clinical practice

The treaty of 376/5 BC : a new interpretation

The article addresses the issue of a peace treaty between Carthage and Dionysius I of Syracuse, related by Diodorus Siculus in his Library of History (15.17.5). While maintaining the identification of the Halycus river as the Platani, the article offers a new interpretation of the treaty, by arguing that it created a new category of territories in the western part of the island, leaving the Greek cities east of the Halycus river paying tribute to the Carthaginians until the arrival of Timoleon of Corinth

Contemporary studies on Diodorus Siculus

Artykuł stanowi próbę zwięzłego przedstawienia toczącej się w ostatnich latach dyskusji nad „Biblioteką Historyczną” Diodora Sycylijskiego – jednym z najważniejszych źródeł naszej wiedzy o historii starożytnej. W pierwszej części omówione zostają główne publikacje, w tym zwłaszcza monografie poświęcone Diodorowi i „Bibliotece”, współczesne wydania i tłumaczenia tego dzieła, a także komentarze do poszczególnych ksiąg. W drugiej części zarysowane zostały główne nurty obecne w badaniach nad Diodorem. Nadal istotne miejsce zajmują wśród nich próby identyfikacji źródeł, na których się opierał (Quellenforschung). Nurt ten doczekał się jednak obszernej krytyki i w ostatnich latach podejście do niego stało się bardziej zniuansowane, nawet wśród uczonych, którzy nadal uznają go za najbardziej wartościowy sposób badania „Biblioteki Historycznej”. W ostatnich dekadach uwagę badaczy zwróciły również kwestie tematów i motywów, które przewijają się konsekwentnie w całym dziele Diodora. Motywy te najczęściej związane są z dydaktyczną rolą historii, którą podkreślał sam Diodor. Osobną kategorią problemów są zagadnienia dotyczące samego pisania „Biblioteki Historycznej”, zarówno na poziomie datowania i organizacji całego procesu, jak i na poziomie analizy metody pracy Diodora. Przedmiotem refleksji współczesnych uczonych jest nie tylko plan pracy samego historyka, ale też jego decyzje kompozycyjne i stylistyczne, takie jak np. ograniczenie ilości obszernych mów czy wykorzystanie zaawansowanych technik retorycznych.The aim of the article is to present the Polish reader with a brief outline of the current discussions in the field of the studies of Diodorus Siculus’ “Bibliotheke Historike” – one of the most important sources for studying ancient history. In the first part, the article discusses the main publications in the fields – including especially monographs on Dodorus and his work, editions and translations, and commentaries to individual books or groups of books.The second part offers an overview of the main research areas within the Diodorean studies. Among these, the attempts to identify and reconstruct the sources used by Diodorus (Quellenforschung) still feature prominently. However, in recent years this approach has been a subject of an extensive critique and consequently evolved into a more balanced view, even among the scholars who still argue for its crucial role in studying “Bibliotheke”. In the last decades the scholars turned their attention also to various themes and motifs which appear consistently throughout the whole oeuvre, most often reflecting Diodorus’ focus on the moral and didactic role of history. Another category of problems receiving a lot of attention in the recent years refers to the process of writing of “Bibliotheke Historike”. Both the dating of this process and its internal organization, and Diodorus’ method of work have been subjects of a lively discussion. The modern scholars are interested not only in Diodorus’ plan and its execution, but also in his stylistic and narrative choices, such as his decision to avoid lengthy speeches or his use of advanced rhetorical techniques