The Tyrants of Syracuse: War in Ancient Sicily

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 Gelon, Timoleon and Dionysius. In this second volume, Jeff Champion follows the course of the city' s wars from the death of Dionysius II down to the final epic siege of the city in 213-211 BC. This ended with the final capture of the city by the Romans, despite the heroic and resourceful resistance of the Syracusans and the ingenious inventions of Archimedes. It is a story full of dramatic battles and epic sieges, heroism and skullduggery.