Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1081

 SYRACUSAE. to assign any definite place in chronology to the occurrence there alkiJed to. At a later period we find the government in the hands of an exclusive oligarchy called the Geomori or Gamori, who, from their name, would appear to have been the descend- ants of the original colonists, around whom there naturally grew up a democracy or plebs, composed of the citizens derived from other sources. At length, about B. c. 486, a revolution took place; and the democracy succeeded in expelling the Geomori, who thereupon withdrew to Casmenae. (Herod, vii. 155; Dionys. vi. 62.) But this revolution quickly led to another; Gelon, the powerful despot of Gela, having espoused the cause of the exiles. Gela was at this time at least equal, if not superior, to Syracuse in power. Hippocrates, its late despot, had extended bis power over many of the other cities in the east of Sicily, and defeated the Syracusans themselves in a great battle at the river Helorus. He would pro- bably indeed have made himself master of Syracuse upon this occasion had it not been fur the inter- position of the Corinthians and Corcyraeans, who brought about a peace upon equitable terms. (Herod, vii. 154.) But the expulsion of the Geomori opened a fresh opportunity to Gelon, who, putting himself at the head of the exiles, easily efl'ected their re- storation, while the people of Syracuse readily ad- mitted Gelon himself as their ruler with despotic authority. {Lb. 155.) This revolution (which occurred in b. c. 485) seemed at first likely to render Syracuse subordinate to Gela, but it ultimately produced a directly con- trary effect. Gelon seems to have been fully alive to the superior advantages of Syracuse, and from the moment he had established his power in that city, made it the chief object of his solicitude, and directed all his efforts to the strengthening and adorning his new capital. Among other measures, he removed thither the whole body of the citizens of Camarina (which had been rcpeopled by Hippo- crates), and subsequently more than half of those of Gela itself, admitting them all to the full rights of Syracusan citizens. Afterwards, as he directed his arms successively against the Sicilian Megara and Euboea, he removed the wealthy and noble citi- zens of both those cities also to Syracuse. (76. 156.) That city now rose rapidly to a far greater amount of power and prosperity than it had previously en- joyed, and became, under the fostering care of Gelon, unquestionably the first of the Greek cities in Sicily. It was probably at this period that it first extended itself beyond the limits of the island, and occupied the table-land or heights of Achra- dina, which were adapted to receive a far more numerous population, and had already become thickly peopled before the time of Thucydides. (Thuc. vi. 3.) This portion of the city now came to be known as the Outer City (^ e|a) TrdAir), while the island of Ortygia was culled the Inner City, though still frequently designated as " the Island." Strictly speaking, however, it bad ceased to merit that term, being now joined to the mainland by an artificial dike or causeway. (Thuc. I. c.) From the time of Gelon the history of Syracuse becomes inseparably blended with that of Sicily in general ; its position in the island being so im- portant that, as Strabo justly remarks, whatever vicissitudes of fortune befel the city were shared in by the whole island. (Strab. vi. p. 270.) Hence it would be useless to recapitulate the events of which a brief summary has been already given in VOL. H. SYEACUSAE. 1057 the article Sicilia, and which are more fully de- tailed by all the general historians of Greece. The following summary will, therefore, be confined to those historical events which more immediately affected the city itself, as distinguished from the political vicissitudes of the state. There can be no doubt that Syracuse continued to flourish extremely throughout the reign of Gelon (b. c. 485 — 478), as well as that of his successor Hieron (b. c. 478 — 467), who, notwithstanding the more despotic character of his government, was in many respects a liberal and enlightened ruler. His patronage of letters and the arts especially rendered Syracuse one of the chief resorts of men of letters, and his court affurded shelter and protection to Aeschylus, Pindar, and Bacchylides. Nor was Sy- racuse itself deficient in literary distinction. E]ii- charmus, though not a native of the city, spent all the latter years of his life there, and Sophron, the celebrated writer of mimes, was a native of Syracuse, and exhibited all his principal works there. The care bestowed upon the arts is sufficiently attested by the still extant coins of the city, as well as by the accounts transmitted to us of other monuments; and there is every probability that the distinction of Syracuse in this respect commenced from the reign of Hieron. The tranquil reign of that monarch was followed by a brief period of revolution and disturb- ance; his brother Thrasybulus having, after a short but tyrannical and violent reign, been expelled by the Syracusans, who established a popular government, B. c. 466. This was for a time agitated by fresh tumults, arising out of disputes between the new citizens who had been introduced by Gelon and the older citizens, who claimed the exclusive possession of political power; but after some time these dis- putes were terminated by a compromise, and the new citizens withdrew to Messana. (Diod. si. 67, 68, 72, 73, 76.) The civil dissensions connected with the expulsion of Thrasybulus, which on more than one occasion broke out into actual hostilities, show bow great was the extent which the eity had already attained. Thrasybulus himself, and afterwards the discontented citizens, are mentioned as occupying the Island and Achradina, both of which were strongly fortified, and had their own separate walls (Diod. xi. 68, 73); while the popular parly held the rest of the city. It is evident therefore that there were already considerable spaces occupied by buildings outside the walls of these two quarters, which are distinctly mentioned on one occasion as " the suburbs " (ra TTpuaaTila, lb. 68). Of these, one quarter called Tycha, which lay to the W. of Achradina, adjoining the N. slope of the table-land, is now first mentioned by name (IbuL); but there can be no doubt that the plain between the heights of Achradina and the marshes was already occupied with buildings, and formed jwrt of the city, though it apparently Wiu> not as yet comprised within the fortifications. The final establishment of the democracy at Sy- racuse was followed by a period of about si.ty years of tree government, during which we are expressly told that the city, in common with the other Greek colonies in Sicily, developed its resources with great rapidity, and probably attained to its niaxiinuni of wealth and power. (Diod. xi. 68,72.) Before the close of this period it had to encounter the severest danger it had yet experienced, and gave abundant proof of its great resources by coming off victorious in a contest with Athens, then at the very height of 3 Y