Diocles of Megara ( el, Διοκλῆς ὁ Μεγαρεύς) was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

warrior from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

who died a hero in Megara. 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. 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 Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

, asking that his lips be able to discern the best kiss. In

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

' play ''

Acharnians ''The Acharnians'' or ''Acharnians'' (Ancient Greek: ''Akharneîs''; Attic: ) is the third play — and the earliest of the eleven surviving plays — by the Athenian playwright Aristophanes. It was produced in 425 BC on behalf of the young drama ...

'' (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. According to Megarian belief, Diocles was a Megarian ruler of Eleusis.Ernest Leslie Highbarger,
Chapters in the History and Civilization of Ancient Megara
' (1923).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diocles of Megara Ancient Athenians Ancient Greeks killed in battle Ancient LGBT people Gay men Greek LGBT people