Dosiadas of Cydonia (Δωσιάδας ὁ Κυδωνιάτης) Life Dosiadas was a historian from Cydonia, a city on the northwest coast of Crete. He lived in the 4th or 3rd century BCE, but no biographical details of his life survive.

Works His sole known work is the Cretika (Κρητικά) or History of Crete. This account of Cretan history and mythology is now lost, preserved only in fragments and references by later authors [1][2].

Significance Dosiadas's significance rests on his value as a source for Cretan traditions. Later scholars, such as the Byzantine patriarch Photius, used his work, noting it contained legendary material [1]. He is also cited in ancient commentaries on Apollonius Rhodius concerning the myth of Talos [2]. As a local historian, he contributed to the genre of regional history, though the fragmentary state of his writing precludes detailed analysis of his method.

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sosicrates 2. Perseus Digital Library, Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.1638: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0228%3Abook%3D4%3Acard%3D1638