Dicaearchus,  (flourished c. 320 bc), Greek Peripatetic philosopher of Messina in Sicily, a pupil of Aristotle and a scholar of wide learning who influenced such people as Cicero and Plutarch. He spent most of his life in Sparta. Neglecting systematic philosophy, he cultivated special branches of knowledge, including the history of literature and of music, biography, political science, and geography. He also wrote Bios Hellados (“Life of Greece”), a history of Greek civilization from its beginning.