Dardanus went through a number of revisions from the time of its premiere in 1739 until its final eighteenth-century run at the Opéra in 1771. The version in the Virtual Rare Book Room was first performed in 1744; the last three acts exhibit extensive plot changes from the first edition. The final version in 1760 received the most positive acclaim, especially compared to the criticisms that were made about the nonsensical plot of the first version. By this point, however, the polemic between the Lullistes and the Ramistes, which had surrounded the premiere, had subsided.

A sacred oratorio in three acts for soloists and mixed chorus (SATB) with orchestra acc. (2 oboes, 2 violins, viola, and basso continuo). A contents index is given on p. 219. According to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Handel composed this oratorio from 23 August - 23 October 1744. Charles Jennens wrote the libretto on the Biblical story of the downfall of the King of Babylon with details taken from "Cyropaedia" (a political romance about the education of an ideal ruler) by Herodotus and Xenophon's.