What is "diodotus"

Diodotus may refer to:

• Diodotus I, Seleucid satrap of Bactria
• Diodotus II, Greco-Bactrian king, son of Diodotus I
• Diodotus Tryphon, king of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom 142–138 BC
• Diodotus the Stoic, stoic philosopher, and friend of Cicero
• Diodotus (son of Eucrates), ancient Athenian who opposed Cleon's proposal in 427 BC to kill all adult Mytilenean males and to enslave their women and children after the Mytilenean revolt

Diodotus, son of Eucrates was an opponent to the proposal of Cleon - leader of the radical, imperialist faction in Athens - in 427 BC to kill all adult Mytilenean males and to enslave their women and children after the defeat of Mytilene (see also Mytilenean revolt). He seems to represent the moderate faction in Athens (in favour of Pericles' policy).

Diodotus' proposal won in the assembly, so that in the end only Cleon's next proposal was carried out: to punish by death those Mytileneans who were sent by Paches to Athens (which were a little over a thousand; this was probably about 10% of the adult male population of the rebelling cities on Lesbos. The execution took place without proper trial.

Diodotus' one speech in Thucydides is all we know of him.