Duris of Samos

Duris of Samos (or Douris) (c. 350 BC – after 281 BC) was a Greek historian and was at some period tyrant of Samos. Duris was the author of a narrative history of events in Greece and especially Macedonia from 371 BC to 281 BC, which has been lost. Other works included a life of Agathocles of Syracuse and a number of treatises on literary and artistic subjects.

The following fragment from Xenophon preserves information provided by Duris of Samos, born about the middle of the fourth century BC, whose Histories covered a period of nearly a century, beginning with 370 BC.

In the seventh book of his Histories Duris has preserved the following account on this subject. Only at the festival celebrated by the Persians in honour of Mithra does the Persian king become drunken and dance after the Persian manner. On this day throughout Asia all abstain from the dance. For the Persians are taught both horsemanship and dancing; and they believe that the practice of these rhythmical movements strengthens and disciplines the body.

Chaldean Magi

• Introduction

• Ammianus Marcellinus

• Apuleius

• Arnobius

• Bardasenes

• Callisthenes

• Clement of Alexandria

• Commodian

• Ctesias

• Damascius

• Derveni Papyrus

• Dio Chrysostom

• Diodorus of Sicily

• Diogenes Laertes

• Dionysius the Areopagite

• Duris

• Emperor Julian

• Eudemus of Rhodes

• Eunapius

• Eusebius

• Firmicus Maternus

• Gregory Nazianzus

• Herodotus

• Hyppolitus

• Iamblichus

• Jerome

• Justin Martyr

• Lactantius Placidus

• Lampridius

• Lucian

• Martianus Capella

• Mithras Liturgy

• Nonnus of Panopolis

• Nonnosus

• Origen

• Philo of Alexandria

• Philo of Byblos

• Pliny the Elder

• Plutarch

• Porphyry

• Proclus

• Saint Augustine

• Socrates of Constantinople

• St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea

• Strabo

• Tertullian

• The Chaldean Oracles

• Xenophon

• Zosimus of Panopolis