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Dinon

4th-century BC Greek historian, chronicler, and author

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
People and ideasInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 21, 2025
Entity authorityQ260951
Source-derived summary

Dinon or Deinon (Greek Δίνων or Δείνων) of Colophon (fl. c. 360 – 340 BC) was a Greek historian and chronicler, the author of a history of Persia, many fragments of which survive. The Suda mistakenly attributes this work to Dio Cassius. He was the father of the historian Cleitarchus.

He wrote a history of Persia titled "The Persian Affairs" of which only a few fragments have survived. He took the history of the near East from where Ctesias left off. While indulging in the taste for the low, his history of Persia was held in considerably more regard than that author's Persica.

His narrative began with the era of the legendary Queen Semiramis and concluded with the Persian reconquest of Egypt. Besides historical events, he described the customs and traditions of the Persians, as well as the luxury, privileges and hierarchy of the court of the Great King.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Dinon” as 4th-century BC Greek historian, chronicler, and author. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Dinon, 4th-century and Greek.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current 149-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The linked authority record independently contributes the date -0400. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Dinon, 4th-century and Greek providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Dinon”, the useful work is to connect “4th-century BC Greek historian, chronicler, and author” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 21, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q260951. VIAF identifies the subject as 90750685. The Library of Congress control number is n2001039882. 2 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Dinon”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Dinon primary sources, Dinon archive and Dinon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Dinon”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Dinon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.