The Rise of Dionysius I, Tyrant of Syracuse

In the meantime the political situation at Syracuse had altered. Shortly after the death of Hiero, the victor of Cumae (see chap. 10), in 467, the tyranny in Syracuse had yielded to a democracy. Now the Syracusans consented once more to live under a tyranny. A man called Dionysius became tyrant in 406 (Diod. XIII 91-92), and it was he who would lead the Greeks against the Carthaginians over the next four decades.

After taking Acragas, Himilco next marched on Gela (405). Here 30,000 Syracusan troops (Timaeus, BNJ 566, Fr. 107) including allies from Italy made a combined attack which, however, failed when Dionysius could not carry out his part of the plan. Dioynsius then decided to evacuate Gela and to bring its population, together with the refugees from Acragas, to Syracuse. Camarina, which lay on the coast to the east of Gela, was evacuated as well. These actions incurred great unpopularity (the Syracusan cavalry revolted against the tyrant) (Diod. XIII 108-113), but Dioynsius may have judged them necessary before an overwhelming Carthaginian army. In late 405 Dionysius and the Carthaginians made peace. The treaty allowed the refugees from Selinus, Acragas, Himera, Gela, and Camarina to return to their cities which, however, were to remain unfortified and to pay tribute to Carthage. The Carthaginians’ sovereignty over

Their colonies on the island as well as over the non-Greek Elymians and Sica-nians was confirmed. Dionysius was to hold Syracuse, and the other cities and peoples on Sicily (named are the non-Greek Sicels as well as the Greek cities of Leontini and Messene) were to have their freedom (Diod. XIII 114). With that, Himilco returned to Carthage.

Dionyius used the time which he had won well. He constructed massive fortifications on the island of Ortygia, where the original settlement of Syracuse had lain (see chap. 5); he put down a revolt (Diod. XIV 7-8); and with the help of traitors he seized the Greek cities of Catane and Naxos and sold their inhabitants into slavery. Leontini fared a little better; its people were merely relocated to Syracuse (Diod. XIV 15). With the exception of Messene, with which he made an alliance (Diod. XIV 40), Dionysius had brought what was left of Greek Sicily under his control. He next rebuilt the Syracusan army from the ground up with special emphasis on siege artillery (Diod. XIV 41-43).