![Statue of Diagoras of Rhodes carried by his sons, Rhodes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Statue_of_Diagoras_of_Rhodes_carried_by_his_sons%2C_Rhodes.jpg)
Dorieus (
Gr. ) of
Ialysos
Ialysos ( el, Ιαλυσός, before 1976: Τριάντα ''Trianta'') is a town and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rhodes, of which ...
in
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
commanded small naval contingents supporting the Spartan fleet during the last decade of the
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of th ...
and is attributed with a Rhodian revolt from Athens and a
synoecism. He was also a renowned
Olympic athlete
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
.
Family
Dorieus was the grandson of Damagetos, king of Ialysos. His father,
Diagoras of Rhodes
Diagoras of Rhodes (; el, Διαγόρας ὁ Ῥόδιος) was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his own victories, as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons. He was a member of the Eratidea fa ...
, was a celebrated boxer and Olympic victor. Diagoras won the boxing at several
Panhellenic games
Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. The four Games were:
Description
The Olympiad was one of the ways the Greeks measured time. The Olympic Games were used as a starting point, year ...
and was honoured by
Pindar
Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is ...
. Dorieus’ elder brothers were also elite athletes. His brother Damagetos, won
pankration
Pankration (; el, παγκράτιον) was a sporting event introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, which was an empty-hand submission sport with few rules. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, such as ...
events and his other brother, Akousilaos, won boxing victories at Panhellenic games. These two elder brothers celebrated one particular victory of their father’s by carrying Diagoras around the stadium on their shoulders. The image became a popular theme in Rhodian art. Dorieus’ sister
Kallipateira
Diagoras of Rhodes (; el, Διαγόρας ὁ Ῥόδιος) was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his own victories, as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons. He was a member of the Eratidea fa ...
was said to have been the only woman to have attended the Olympic games. When caught, she escaped execution out of respect for her family.
Athletic victories
Dorieus was even more successful in athletics than these celebrated members of his family. He won the pankration at Olympia in three successive games as well as victories at eight
Isthmian games, seven
Nemean games and four
Pythian games. Dorieus also won several victories at other festivals (not in the ''periodos''), including the Athenian
Panathenaea, the Asklepeia in
Epidaurus
Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the ...
, the Hekatombaia in
Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
** Ancient Argos, the ancient city
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
* ...
and the Lykaia in Arcadia.
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
says that Dorieus’ reputation was so great that his name even became synonymous for athletic success.
Activity in the Peloponnesian War
Although Dorieus’ family usually dominated political affairs in Rhodes, their fortunes were not always secure. Dorieus seems to have been exiled and settled at
Thurii
Thurii (; grc-gre, Θούριοι, Thoúrioi), called also by some Latin writers Thurium (compare grc-gre, Θούριον in Ptolemy), for a time also Copia and Copiae, was a city of Magna Graecia, situated on the Gulf of Taranto, Tarentine gul ...
in Italy some time before 424 BC. In 412 BC he led a contingent of ten ships from Thurii to support the Spartans in the Ionian War. In 411 BC he was probably active in the defection of Rhodes from Athens, as it was at this time that he was condemned to death by the Athenians ''in absentia''. But it was not a matter of being anti-Athenian or pro-Spartan and his actions were always consistent with Rhodian interests. For example, he advocated for Rhodian troops against the Spartan general
Astyochus Astyochus or Astyochos ( gr, Ἀστύοχος) was a Spartan Spartan navarch, navarch who served as commander of the collective Spartan naval forces along the coast of Asia Minor from 412–411 BC. He is regarded by many contemporaries and modern s ...
.
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
reports that, in 411, the Spartan general
Mindaros despatched Doreius from
Miletus
Miletus (; gr, Μῑ́λητος, Mī́lētos; Hittite transcription ''Millawanda'' or ''Milawata'' (exonyms); la, Mīlētus; tr, Milet) was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in a ...
to Rhodes to quell a counter-revolution there with a fleet of 14
triremes. He was successful in this mission and it is said that he brought the cities of Rhodes under one authority (a synoecism). After this, Dorieus returned to assist Mindaros in the
Hellespont
The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
.
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...
says that on arrival with his fleet of 13 ships he was attacked by an Athenian squadron and forced to flee to Rhoeteum and could not assist Mindaros in the subsequent
Battle of Abydos.
In 407 BC he was captured by the Athenians. Despite the death sentence already on his head, he was released as a mark of respect for his esteemed record in panhellenic games.
Death
In 397-396 Rhodian democrats revolted from Sparta, dislodged the Diagoreans from power, expelled the Spartans and admitted the Athenian general,
Konon.
Only
Androtion
Androtion ( grc, Ἀνδροτίων, gen.: Ἀνδροτίωνος; before 405after 346 BC), was a Greek orator, and one of the leading politicians of his time. He was born between 415 and 405 BC, the son of Andron, who was a member of the Four H ...
records Doreius’ death. He claimed that he had been active in the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...
just after the revolt from Sparta and was executed by the Spartans in 395 BC, despite his high standing. But
Pausanias questions the veracity of Androtion’s statement.
[Pausanias, 6.7.6-7]
References
Ancient Rhodian athletes
Ancient Olympic competitors
Ancient Greek boxers
5th-century BC Greek people
Greek male boxers
Ancient Greek statesmen
4th-century BC Rhodians
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