Cicero, in his work the Tusculanae Disputationes (Tusculan Disputations), recalls the years of tyranny of Dionysius as a period of true slavery and tells many anecdotes about his life.
It seems that the tyrant trusted no one: to avoid relying on a barber, he forced his daughters to cut his hair and beard. He did not even trust his two wives, Doris of Locris and Aristomache, and for this reason he had them searched before every amorous encounter and was capable of atrocious revenge.
Plutarch in the Moralia (Morals) also confirms the tyrant’s obsessions in numerous tales.
For example, Dionysius did not allow his young son to leave home, to prevent him from meeting his opponents and therefore plotting against him.
