Eighty orations on kingship, philosophy, morality, and civic life. Dio was exiled by Domitian and spent years as a wandering philosopher before Trajan recalled him. His speeches range from Socratic dialogues to political addresses.
Start ReadingDio's first oration on kingship, addressed to Trajan, argues that the true king rules by virtue and wisdom rather than force.
The second discourse on kingship develops the philosopher's ideal of the ruler as servant of his people, not their master.
The third discourse on kingship explores the relationship between the monarch and his advisers, arguing for philosophical counsel at the heart of government.
The fourth discourse on kingship uses the myth of Heracles at the crossroads to illustrate the moral choices facing every ruler.
A Libyan myth about a beautiful but dangerous creature serves as an allegory for the seductive power of flattery and rhetoric.
Dio argues that Diogenes the Cynic, not Alexander, was the true king — because he alone ruled himself completely.
Dio recounts his wandering life in exile, living among simple people who embodied virtues that the educated had lost.
Diogenes at the Isthmian Games mocks the athletes and spectators, finding more genuine competition in the struggle for virtue.
Diogenes counsels a young man on the proper use of his advantages, warning against the corrupting influence of inherited wealth.
A meditation on servants and slavery, arguing that most free men are enslaved by their passions while some slaves possess true freedom.
The Trojan Discourse argues that Homer lied about Troy — the Greeks actually lost the war, and the poets covered up their defeat.
Dio's Olympic Discourse, delivered at the games, presents his vision of Zeus and the proper relationship between gods and humans.
A discourse on exile that transforms Dio's banishment into a philosophical journey of self-discovery and moral purification.
Dio reflects on the nature of trust and good faith in political life, arguing that a city without trust cannot long survive.
On retirement from public life — when withdrawal is wisdom and when it is cowardice, and how to tell the difference.
On beauty, arguing that true attractiveness comes from character rather than physical appearance.
On peace and war, Dio counsels his fellow citizens on when armed conflict is justified and when it merely serves ambition.
A discourse on what constitutes the wise man, blending Stoic, Cynic, and Platonic traditions into Dio's own synthesis.
On happiness, arguing that contentment cannot be found in wealth, fame, or pleasure but only in the well-ordered soul.
Dio examines the art of public speaking itself, distinguishing true rhetoric from the empty flattery that passes for eloquence.
A discourse on progress in philosophy, encouraging those who feel they are making no headway in the pursuit of wisdom.
Delivered at Athens, this oration examines the city's past greatness and its present obligations to live up to its heritage.
Dio addresses the Melancomas dialogue on the relationship between physical beauty and athletic excellence.
A companion piece on the athlete Melancomas, using his story to explore the relationship between the body and the soul.
A discourse on public opinion and how the wise man should respond to praise and blame alike.
Delivered at Rhodes, this oration chastises the Rhodians for their habit of re-inscribing old statues with new names.
The first Alexandrian oration, criticising the citizens of Alexandria for their obsession with spectacles and their neglect of civic virtue.
The first Tarsian oration, addressing civic strife in Tarsus and urging the citizens to find common ground.
The second Tarsian oration continues Dio's advice to the quarrelling citizens of Tarsus, blending philosophy with practical politics.
Delivered at Celaenae in Phrygia, this oration reflects on the city's mythological associations and present circumstances.
The Borysthenitic Discourse describes Dio's visit to the Greek colony of Olbia on the Black Sea and its inhabitants' surprising devotion to Homer.
Delivered at Corinth, this oration uses the city's history of destruction and rebuilding as a lesson in resilience and civic rebirth.
A discourse urging concord among the Greek cities of Asia Minor, arguing that their rivalry weakens them all.
Delivered to the Nicaeans, urging them to end their petty rivalry with Nicomedia for honorific titles.
Dio addresses the citizens of Prusa, his home city, defending his public service and responding to accusations from political opponents.
A continuation of Dio's self-defence before the Prusans, offering an account of his building projects and their costs.
Dio addresses the city council of Prusa on matters of governance and the proper management of public funds.
A political discourse at Prusa on the city's relations with the Roman provincial governor.
Dio responds to a political crisis in Prusa involving accusations against him and questions about civic expenditure.
A discourse on managing popular assemblies and the art of democratic deliberation in a Greek city under Roman rule.
Dio speaks before the council of Prusa on a matter of local controversy, blending practical politics with philosophical principle.
A discourse on the management of public funds and the responsibilities of civic leaders in Bithynia.
A political oration addressing rivalries between Bithynian cities and their competition for Roman imperial favour.
Dio returns from exile and addresses his fellow citizens with a mixture of philosophical serenity and political shrewdness.
A discourse on duty and civic obligation, arguing that the philosopher must engage with political life rather than retreat from it.
Dio examines the relationship between reputation and reality, asking whether a city's fame should rest on its past or its present.
A discourse on Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides' competing treatments of the Philoctetes story, comparing their dramatic approaches.
Dio compares Homer and Plato as educators, asking which offers the better guide to the good life.
On Socrates — Dio offers his interpretation of the philosopher's life and teaching, drawing lessons for his own age.
On Homer and Socrates, comparing the poet and the philosopher as rival claimants to wisdom.
Dio addresses Agathocles on the question of whether it is better to live in the city or the country.
On Nestor, using Homer's wisest Greek as a model for the counsellor who guides through eloquence rather than force.
On Achilles, examining the hero's character as a study in the relationship between greatness and self-destruction.
On Philoctetes and the ethics of using a wounded man's pain for strategic advantage.
On Nessus — the centaur's dying gift to Deianira and the destructive consequences of well-intentioned actions.
On Chryseis — Homer's captive woman becomes the starting point for a meditation on the origins of conflict.
A discourse on kingship and tyranny, distinguishing the legitimate ruler from the despot through their relationship to law.
On fortune and fate — Dio examines whether human prosperity is the result of chance, character, or divine will.
On misfortune and how to bear it with philosophical equanimity, drawing examples from myth and history.
On fortune — a companion piece exploring the ethical implications of good luck and unearned prosperity.
On reputation and fame, asking whether posthumous glory is worth pursuing or merely another form of vanity.
A discourse on the relationship between philosophy and rhetoric, two disciplines that Dio sees as complementary rather than rival.
On opinion — Dio explores the power of conventional wisdom and the philosopher's duty to challenge received ideas.
On virtue and its rewards, arguing that the virtuous life carries its own justification regardless of external recognition.
On philosophy, offering a defence of the philosophical life against those who dismiss it as useless speculation.
On the philosopher's appearance — Dio defends the simple dress and unkempt look that mark the true philosopher.
A discourse on personal conduct, examining how the philosopher should behave in daily life without being either a prig or a hypocrite.
On the relationship between speech and character, arguing that how a man speaks reveals who he truly is.
On distrust and suspicion, examining their corrosive effects on friendship and civic life.
On law and custom, distinguishing between the written law of the state and the unwritten law of nature.
A brief discourse on a particular custom or social practice, using it as a lens for philosophical reflection.
On envy, a passion that Dio diagnoses as uniquely self-destructive because it finds another's good fortune intolerable.
Dio's final surviving discourse reflects on the philosophical life and its promise of inner freedom.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.
An oration by Dio Chrysostom — philosophical speeches delivered across the Roman world on kingship, virtue, civic life, and the examined life.