Dicaearchus facts for kids

Dicaearchus of Messana (born around 370-350 BC) was an important Greek thinker. He was a philosopher, geographer, and writer. Dicaearchus was a student of the famous philosopher Aristotle at his school, the Lyceum.

Most of Dicaearchus's writings have been lost over time. However, we know he wrote about geography and the history of Greece. His most famous work was called Life of Greece. Some people in modern times thought he made maps, but this was a misunderstanding. He also wrote books about ancient Greek poets, philosophy, and politics.

Life of Dicaearchus

Dicaearchus was born in Messana, a city in Sicily, which was part of ancient Greece. His father's name was Pheidias. He spent much of his life in mainland Greece, especially in Athens and the Peloponnesus region.

He was a student of Aristotle and a friend of Aristoxenus. Dicaearchus also traveled to measure mountains. It's not clear exactly when he died. Some experts believe he worked between 306 and 287 BC, possibly with the support of kings like Cassander and Ptolemy I Soter. Other ideas suggest he worked earlier, between 323 and 317 BC.

Dicaearchus's Writings

Ancient people highly respected Dicaearchus. They saw him as a wise philosopher and someone with a lot of knowledge about many different things. We only know about his works from small pieces quoted by later writers.

His writings covered many topics: geography, politics, history, and philosophy. It's hard to make a perfect list of his works because some titles might have been parts of bigger books. Also, many titles are only mentioned once.

Cultural and Literary Works

• Life of Greece (Bios Hellados)
  • This was Dicaearchus’s most famous work. It was written in three books.
  • He tried to write a history of the Greek people from the earliest times.
  • Dicaearchus described three stages of human life:
    • The "golden race" lived simply off nature's gifts.
    • Then came the pastoral life, where people started raising animals and hunting.
    • Finally, the agricultural life began with farming.
  • He also discussed how cities (called poleis) began. He believed they grew from families expanding through marriage.
  • Interestingly, the first book of Life of Greece also talked about Egypt and Babylon. He saw them as important cultures before the Greeks.

• On Musical Contests and On Dionysiac Contests
  • These books discussed new ideas in Greek music and drama.
  • In On Dionysiac Contests, Dicaearchus likely wrote about famous theater stories. For example, he might have mentioned that Sophocles lost a play contest to Philocles. He also probably noted that Sophocles was the one who added a third actor to Athenian plays.

• On Alcaeus
  • This was a specific book about the poet Alcaeus.
  • Dicaearchus also wrote about other famous poets like Homer and Euripides.

Geographical Works

• Circuit of the Earth (Ges periodos)
  • This book described the world as people knew it back then.
  • Dicaearchus divided the known world into a northern and southern part. This division ran from the Strait of Gibraltar through Sicily to the Himalaya mountains.
  • He tried to figure out the distances between different places along this line.
  • In this work, he also discussed the famous problem of the flooding of the Nile River.

• Measurements of Mountains
  • Dicaearchus tried to measure the height of various mountains. He measured mountains in the Peloponnese, Thessaly, and on Rhodes.
  • This was one of the earliest known attempts to measure mountain heights using a method called triangulation. He used a special instrument called a dioptra.
  • His goal was to show that mountains were not as tall as people thought. He wanted to prove they did not affect the Earth's round shape.
  • Many of his measurements were later used by another famous geographer, Eratosthenes.

Political Works

• Tripolitikos
  • This work was likely a discussion about politics.
  • Some scholars believe it was about a "mixed constitution," which means a government that combines elements of different types of rule.

• Constitutions
  • Dicaearchus is said to have written about the governments (constitutions) of several Greek cities. These included Sparta, Pellenian, Corinth, and Athens.
  • No parts of these works have survived.
  • The Spartan Constitution was supposedly read every year to young people in Sparta.

Other Philosophical Works

• On the Soul (Peri psyches)
  • Dicaearchus wrote two books on the soul: the Lesbian Dialogue and the Corinthian Dialogue.
  • In the Lesbian Dialogue, he tried to show that the soul dies with the body.
  • In the Corinthian Dialogue, he argued that the soul cannot exist outside the body.

• On the Destruction of Men (de interitu hominum)
  • This work collected different ways humans could be destroyed.
  • It concluded that humans themselves were the biggest threat to humanity.

• Descent into Sanctuary of Trophonius (Eis Trophoniou katabasis)
  • This book was about luxury and wealth.
  • The title refers to a famous oracle (a place where people sought advice from gods) at Trophonius in Lebadea. To consult the oracle, people had to go down into a cave.

• On Lives (Peri bion)
  • This was probably a philosophical book about the best way to live life.
  • It included discussions about famous philosophers like the Seven Sages, Pythagoras, and Plato.

• On the Sacrifice at Ilium (Peri tes en Ilio thysias)
  • This book discussed the sacrifice that Alexander the Great made at Ilium (ancient Troy). He did this at the start of his journey against Darius III.

Speeches

• Olympikos and Panathenaikos
  • These were likely speeches Dicaearchus gave.
  • The Suda, an ancient encyclopedia, even called Dicaearchus an "orator," meaning a skilled public speaker.

Images for kids

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  Dicaearchus of Messana