Life Dosiadas of Crete (Δωσιάδας ὁ Κρής) was a Hellenistic poet of the 3rd century BCE. His geographical epithet confirms his origin from the island of Crete [1]. No further biographical details about his life or education survive in the extant record [1, 2, 3].

Works Two pattern poems (technopaignia) are attributed to Dosiadas. His primary surviving work is the "Altar" (Βωμός), a shaped poem preserved in the Greek Anthology (15.26) [1, 2]. A second poem, the "Axe" (Πέλεκυς), is also attributed to him by the Byzantine scholar Michael Psellus, though its authenticity is less certain [1, 3]. Both works are fragmentary examples of visual poetry.

Significance Dosiadas is a significant practitioner of Hellenistic pattern poetry, where the visual arrangement of words forms a shape related to the subject. His "Altar" is a key example, with lines arranged to form an altar's shape and composed in the Doric dialect [1, 2]. This work places him within a circle of innovative poets, including Simias of Rhodes and Theocritus, and his poetry is studied for its formal and linguistic characteristics as an artifact of Hellenistic literary experimentation [1, 3].

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0621%3Abook%3D15%3Achapter%3D26 2. ToposText: https://topostext.org/work/206 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2312