The Tyrants of Syracuse: War in

12.11.2019
All, Classic

1) The Tyrants of Syracuse: War in Ancient Sicily: Volume I: 480-367 BC – Jeff Champion
Pen and Sword | 2010 | EPUB

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 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.

2) The Tyrants of Syracuse: War in Ancient Sicily: Volume II: 367-211 BC – Jeff Champion
Pen and Sword | 2012 | EPUB

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.