Damocles

Damocles

Damocles is a character who appears in a (likely apocryphal) anecdote commonly referred to as "the sword of Damocles", 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, 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). Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Damocles has received more than 5,260,755 page views. His biography is available in 29 different languages on Wikipedia. Damocles is the 1,595th most popular politician (down from 1,145th in 2019), the 596th most popular biography from Italy (down from 467th in 2019) and the 98th most popular Italian Politician.

Damocles was a courtier in ancient Greece. He was a flatterer and sycophant to Dionysius II, the king of Syracuse. One day, the king offered Damocles the opportunity to taste the luxuries of the king's life, but Damocles declined, saying that it would be too dangerous. Dionysius then offered to change seats with Damocles, so that he could experience the pleasures of being a king. Dionysius sat on a throne, and Damocles sat on a chair suspended by a single hair. Dionysius then told Damocles that he could have everything he wanted if he would only sit still. Damocles finally agreed, but he soon regretted his decision when a fly landed on his head.