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Damocles - Wikipedia

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Damocles[a] is a character who appears in a (likely apocryphal) anecdote commonly referred to as "the sword of Damocles",[1][2] an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse,[3] a ruler of Syracuse, Sicily, Magna Graecia, during the classical Greek era. The anecdote apparently figured in the lost history of Sicily by Timaeus of Tauromenium (c. 356 – c. 260 BC). The Roman orator Cicero (c. 106 – c. 43 BC)[4] may have read it in the texts of Greek historian Diodorus Siculus and used it in his Tusculanae Disputationes, 5. 61,[1] by which means it passed into the European cultural mainstream. According to the story, Damocles was flattering his king, Dionysius, exclaiming that Dionysius was truly fortunate as a great man of power and authority without peer, surrounded by magnificence. In response, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for one day so that Damocles could taste

Sword of Damocles - Wikipedia Jump to content From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Damocles ) Ancient Greek moral anecdote For other uses, see Sword of Damocles (disambiguation) . "Damocles" redirects here. For the Athenian orator, see Democles . For other uses, see Damocles (disambiguation) . {{lang|el|Δαμοκλῆς}}"},"series":{"wt":"<!-- use without the italic on the outside -->"},"image":{"wt":"Damocles-WestallPC20080120-8842A.jpg"},"image_upright":{"wt":""},"alt":{"wt":"Damocles sits on a throne, looking apprehensively at a sword suspended above him. Dionysius is standing ne

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