Diocles was known for his love for boys. He was exiled from Athens for an unknown reason and took refuge in Megara, where he met and fell in love with a young man, but during a battle he was slain while protecting his beloved with his shield. Moved by Diocles' sacrifice, the Megarians buried the gallant lover with heroic honors. In commemoration of his faithful attachment, the festival of the Diocleia was instituted.
Diocleiaedit
The Diocleia were held annually at the beginning of spring, when boys and young men would gather at Diocles' sacred tomb for gymnastic (naked games) and other contests, including a kissing contest: one man was chosen as the referee and he who gave him the sweetest kiss would be awarded a garland of flowers. The referee would say a prayer to the divine hero Ganymede, beloved of the god king Zeus, asking that his lips be able to discern the best kiss.[1][2]
In literatureedit
In Aristophanes' play Acharnians (425 BCE), the character identified as a Megarian swears "By Diocles!", from which we may infer that he was held in great honour by the Megarians.[3]
According to Megarian belief, Diocles was a Megarian ruler of Eleusis.[4]
^Ernest Leslie Highbarger, Chapters in the History and Civilization of Ancient Megara (1923).
January 01, 1970
diocles, megara, greek, Διοκλῆς, Μεγαρεύς, ancient, greek, warrior, from, athens, died, hero, megara, contents, life, diocleia, literature, also, referenceslife, editdiocles, known, love, boys, exiled, from, athens, unknown, reason, took, refuge, megara, where. Diocles of Megara Greek Dioklῆs ὁ Megareys was an ancient Greek warrior from Athens who died a hero in Megara Contents 1 Life 2 Diocleia 3 In literature 4 See also 5 ReferencesLife editDiocles was known for his love for boys He was exiled from Athens for an unknown reason and took refuge in Megara where he met and fell in love with a young man but during a battle he was slain while protecting his beloved with his shield Moved by Diocles sacrifice the Megarians buried the gallant lover with heroic honors In commemoration of his faithful attachment the festival of the Diocleia was instituted Diocleia editThe Diocleia were held annually at the beginning of spring when boys and young men would gather at Diocles sacred tomb for gymnastic naked games and other contests including a kissing contest one man was chosen as the referee and he who gave him the sweetest kiss would be awarded a garland of flowers The referee would say a prayer to the divine hero Ganymede beloved of the god king Zeus asking that his lips be able to discern the best kiss 1 2 In literature editIn Aristophanes play Acharnians 425 BCE the character identified as a Megarian swears By Diocles from which we may infer that he was held in great honour by the Megarians 3 According to Megarian belief Diocles was a Megarian ruler of Eleusis 4 See also editIdyll XIIReferences edit Theocritus Idyll XII William Smith A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities 1875 Aristophanes Acharnians 774 Ernest Leslie Highbarger Chapters in the History and Civilization of Ancient Megara 1923 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Diocles of Megara amp oldid 1172636620, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
