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This is the story of one of the most important classical cities, Syracuse, and its struggles (both internal and external) for freedom and survival. Situated at the heart of the Mediterranean, Syracuse was caught in the middle as Carthage, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Athens and then Rome battled to gain control of Sicily. The threat of expansionist enemies on all sides made for a tumultuous situation within the city, resulting in repeated coups that threw up a series of remarkable tyrants, such as show more Gelon, Timoleon and Dionysius.In this first volume Jeff Champion traces the course of Syracuse's wars under the tyrants from the Battle of Himera (480 BC) against the Carthaginians down to the death of Dionysius I (367 BC), whose reign proved to be the high tide of the city's power and influence. One of the highlights along the way is the city's heroic resistance to, and eventual decisive defeat of, the Athenian expeditionary force that besieged them for over two years (415-413BC), an event with massive ramifications for the Greek world. This is the eventful life story of one of the forgotten major powers of the ancient Mediterranean world. show lessTags
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The title is practically a summary, although the 480 is misleading; the first several chapters deals with the time from the Greek settlement of Sicily in the 8th century down to 480 and the battle of Himera.
I bought the book more because I'm distantly acquainted with the author than out of any very great interest in the subject, but it turns out to be pretty good (albeit necessarily somewhat repetitive - Himera was assaulted how many times?). It deals a good deal with socio-economic conditions in addition to the military and political stuff, which makes it easier to make sense of the later.
I bought the book more because I'm distantly acquainted with the author than out of any very great interest in the subject, but it turns out to be pretty good (albeit necessarily somewhat repetitive - Himera was assaulted how many times?). It deals a good deal with socio-economic conditions in addition to the military and political stuff, which makes it easier to make sense of the later.
Champion does good job of distilling the various ancient sources and putting together an easy to follow and informative narrative. He also provides a good look at the background of tyranny in Syracuse and how it rose to power under Gelon and Dionysius. I appreciate his writing style and am glad I have Vol II and his book on Pyrrhus of Epirus in my 'To Read' stack.
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Author Information
4 Works 162 Members
Jeff Champion studied Classics and Ancient History at the University of Western Australia, achieving a First Class degree. During his subsequent career with the Australian Customs Service his interest in the ancient world never waned. He has travelled extensively in the Mediterranean, visiting Classical sites with his long-suffering wife. He is show more the author of Pyrrhus of Epirus (2009) and the two-volume The Tyrants of Syracuse (2010 and 2012), which were all published by Pen St Sword Books and received much praise. He lives in his native Western Australia. show less
Series
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 937.814 — History & geography History of ancient world (to ca. 499) Italian Peninsula to 476 and adjacent territories to 476 Sicily, Syracuse
- LCC
- DG975 .S9 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania City History of Italy Other cities (non-metropolitan), provinces, etc., A-Z
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 31
- Popularity
- 875,372
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.67)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
