Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/899

* SYRACUSE. 785 SYRACUSE. eastern end of the tableland and the adjacent coast, Tj'fhe and Noapolis to the west of Aehradina and of Epipol*, still farther west, with the strong fort of Euryalus at the apex of the triangle. The colony rapidly rose to pros- perity, and was enabled to establish sub-colonies of its own. Acra' ( K.e. Ii(i4), Casnirna' (n.i'. (U4 I . and Camarina (u.c. 590). Nothing definite is known of the early political state of Syracuse, but tlic government seems to have been in the hands of the descendants of the Dorian colonists, who were land-owners employing a large body of serfs, seemingly Sicels. The commerce of the city brought, however, a large 'Demos' of Greeks, who about B.C. 486 expelled the 'Gamori,' or rul- ing oligarchy, and established a democracy. The 'Gamori' were brought back in the following year by Gelon (q.v. ), tyrant of Gela. who at the same time made himself master of Syracuse. He was a great ruler, and under him the city increased in size and wealth. He was succeeded by his broth- er, Hiero I. (q.v.) (B.C. 478-467), whose court became a literary centre. In B.C. 465 the de- mocracy expelled his brother and successor Thrasybulus, and for sixty years a free and popu- lar government was enjoyed under which Syra- cuse prospered greatly. The Sicels were re- duced, and war was waged with neighboring States, till the island attracted Athenian inter- vention, onlj' closed b}- the Peace of Hermo- crates (B.C. 4'24). Renewed hostilities with Segesta led to the great struggle with Athens (B.C. 415-413). in which Syracuse, aided by the Spartan Gylippus, annihilated the invading army, and contributed not a little to the outcome of the Peloponnesian ^Yar. But a new power ap- peared on the stage — the Carthaginian, whose conquests in Sicily toward the close of the fifth century threatened the existence of Syracuse. The successful leadership of Dionysius the Elder (q.v.) enabled him to become tyrant of the city and make it the chief power of ilagna Groecia and Sicily. It was he who constructed the docks in the greater and lesser harbors, and surrounded the city with fortifications. His fierce and vic- torious war with Carthage (B.C. 397) raised the renown of Syracuse still higher. The reigns of Dionysius the Younger (q.v.) and of Dion (q.v.) were unsettled: but after the restoration of pub- lic liberty by Timoleon (B.C. 343) a brief season of tranquillit}' ensued, during which the pros- perity of the city rapidly revived. Under Aga- thoeles (q.v.), however, the despotic form of government was again established (B.C. 317). This reign was marked by a war with Carthage, including an invasion of Africa, conducted with very doubtful success. In B.C. 275 Hiero II. (q.v.) was chosen genera], and about B.C. 270 he assumed the title of King. He adopted the policy of loyal alliance with Rome, and preserved the independence of the State until his death in B.C. 216. His grandson, Hieronynuis, joined the Car- thaginians, and in consequence the city suffered a long siege, rendered famous by the devices of Archimedes, and was finally stormed and plun- dered in B.C. 212 by JIarcellus. Under the Romans Syracuse slowly but stead- ily declined, though it always continued to be the capital and first city of Sicily, and was made a colony by Augustus. Captured, pillaged, and burned by the Saracens (878), it sank into com- plete decay, and is at present confined to its original limits, Ortygia, which, however, is no longer an island, but a peninsula. The popula- tion of Syracuse, which is the capital of a prov- ince of the same name, was about 32,000 in 1900. The mainland contains the chief remains of antiquity, which include a fine rock-cut theatre, a Roman amphitheatre, the great altar of Hiero II., the remains of the ancient fortifications, and the great Latomia' or cpiarries. The catlu'dral on Ortygia has been built around an ancient Doric temple, ami the columns of the temple form jiart of the church. The nuiseuni contains many inter- esting remains of the pre-llellenic ])opulation, found in graves and caves in the neighborhood. In the southern part of the town is the famous fountain of Arethusa. Consult: Freeman, His- ton/ of .Sicily (Oxford, 1891-94) ; Holm, Oe- schichle Siciliotx (Leipzig, 1870-98) ; Cavallari and Holm, Topoyrufiii archeologica di Siracusa (Palermo, 1883), and Ajipendice (1891). SYRACUSE. The fourth city in population of the State of New York, and the county-seat of Onondaga County, 148 miles west of Albany and 149 miles ea.st of Buffalo (Map: New York, D 2 ) . It is situated at the mouth of Onondaga Valley, 35 miles south of Lake Ontario, in an amphitheatre of hills. Syracuse has superior facilities for transpor- tation, steam railroads entering the city from ten directions, and canals from three. The Erie Canal, which pierces the lieart of the city, gives water communication with Lake Erie and the Hudson River, and thence with tidewater, and the Oswego Canal with Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence. All the steam railro.ad lines centring here are of two systems, the New York Central and Hudson River and the Lacka- wanna. The street railway system comprises 65 miles of track, and reaches all sections of the city. It is practically under one management. . The chief residential streets are profusely shaded, presenting a park-like appearance. Syra- cuse has forty-five public parks, ranging from small plots at street intersections to Burnet Park, on a hillside to the west, with more than 100 acres. Lincoln Park, a wooded height of 20 acres on the eastern border, commands the most extensive and picturesque view of the city and its surroundings. The State Fair, under the aus- pices of the State Agricultural Society, is per- manently located in Syracuse. The State an- nually a])propriates a large sum for the support of the fair. The buildings of Syracuse University (q.v.) crown a commanding elevation and are among the most imposing edifices in the city. Other prominent public buildings are the eitj' hall, the new high school, costing $400,000, the Carnegie Library, the covmty court-house, the Federal Gov- ernment building, the State Asylum for Fceble- Minded Children, the County Orphan Asylum, the Old Ladies' Home, and the four hospitals. The Carnegie (public) Library contains (iO.OOO volumes, and the Court of Appeals Law Library, belonging to the State, 10.000 volumes. The city also maintains a Museum of Fine Arts. The On- ondaga Historical Society is (1904) to erect a building for its own use. Industrially, Syracuse is fourth among the cities of the State, its establishments in the census year 1900 having $31,358,000 invested capital, and a production valued al $31,948,000.