L'arte di governo tra poimeniké e magheiriké: Dione Crisostomo e l'antitesi monarchia-tirannide nei Discorsi sulla Regalità

The article takes into account the political problem of the dichotomy between monarchy and tyranny as they are analysed in the four Discourses on Kingship by Dio Chrysostom. Thorugh a textual analysis, it is examined how this author, very scared because of the ambiguity of the power of the Roman princeps and aware enough about the difficulties of distinguishing a good ruler from a tyrant, pinpoints criteria useful to allow his contemporaries to recognise and avoid this dangerous situation. Dio uses a effective metaphor to lay emphasis on the differences: he compare the good ruler to a sheperd and the tyrant to a butcher. In spite of a lot of similarities of their respective jobs, their aims are completely different. This difference of final purposes of the men in power becomes in Dio's view the tool that allows people to distinguish between the good ruler and a bad one.