Diocles Comicus was an Athenian comic poet active in the 5th century BCE, during the era known as Old Comedy. Very little is known about his life. According to a later Byzantine encyclopedia called the Suda, he was credited with writing seven comedies. However, the Suda also notes that some of these plays were alternatively attributed to another poet named Philiscus, making the exact number and authorship uncertain.

Only two play titles survive from fragments cited by other ancient authors: Bacchae and The Soldiers (or Hoplites). His works are lost except for these fragments, which were preserved by writers like Athenaeus, who quoted him for details about food and customs.

Diocles is considered a minor figure compared to famous comic playwrights like Aristophanes. His primary significance for modern scholars is as an example of the many lesser-known poets whose works have not survived. The fragments from his plays, though few, contribute to the broader study of Old Comedy’s themes and everyday language. The confusion in ancient sources over whether certain plays were written by Diocles or Philiscus is a common challenge in reconstructing the history of fragmentary ancient drama.