DIAGORAS, born at Melos, was a writer of dithyrambic poetry. Religious in his youth, he became an atheist because a great wrong done upon him (the details of which are unknown) was left unpunished by the gods. In consequence of his blasphemous speeches, and especially from his publication of the Mysteries, he was condemned to death at Athens, and a price set upon his head. During his flight he perished by shipwreck. Aristophanes alludes to his atheism in the Clouds, 830 sqq., and to his condemnation in the Birds, 1073. His date is not exactly known.

He could not have been, as is usually stated, a pupil of Democritus, as he was older than this philosopher, or certainly not younger. The circumstances of his death may have been confused with those of Protagoras. The writing in which he disclosed the Mysteries bore the name ψpvγιoι λoγoι, or aτro7rvpγiζoi'τeζ. These are all the facts which are known of him, and none of his actual opinions are preserved. See Zeller, Geschichte der Griechischen Philosophie.