Agathoclès of Syracuse

Agathoclès (in Greek old Ἀγαθοκλῆς/ Agathoclễs ), born in 361 av. J. - C. with Thermæ (old Himère) and died in 289 av. J. - C., is Tyran then king of Syracuse of 304 to its death.

Biography

Wire of a potter come to settle in Syracuse at the time of Timoléon, he learns itself the trade. He points out himself of a rich person Syracusain, Damas, from which he becomes the eromene. With died of this last, he marries his widow. After having plotted to reverse the Oligarchy, it is exiled. In 317, it goes back to Syracuse to the head of an army of Mercenaire S under the pretext of restore the democracy. It seizes the capacity and makes carry out the oligarchs syracusains and their allies, that is to say 4000 people according to Diodore of Sicily, and makes exile more than 6000 people, of which the historian Timée de Tauroménion. Once this made, it claims to become again ordinary citizen and returns to the capacity only following supplications of its fellow-citizens, in the condition of being only a Master of the city. Become tyrant, it reinforces his army and recruits mercenaries come from Campanie to subject the other sicilian cities: Zancle (Metz-native), Froze or Akragas (Agrigente).

The head office of Zancle starts the intervention of the Carthaginois, which do not wish to see Syracuse taking hegemony in Sicily. In reaction, Agathoclès puts the seat in front of the Carthaginian cities of Sicily, Ségeste and Sélinonte. However, it itself is besieged in Syracuse, into 311, by Hamilcar, wire of Giscon and demolishes into 310 with the battles of Himère. He then manages to break the seat and to carry the war in Africa: August 14th, 310, it unloads with the Cape Bon and plunders all the territories which it crosses. It is combined with Ophellas, sovereign of the Cyrénaïque that, according to Diodore, it kills a few months later to seize his army. During this time, his/her Antander brother pushes back the troops of Hamilcar, which is captured and carried out. After several victories against Hannon and whereas it goes on Carthage itself, Agathoclès must return to Sicily to subdue the rebellion of certain cities.

After having concluded peace with Carthage into 306 (restitution of punic Sicily, profit of 150 talent S and the Corn), Agathoclès proclaims king de Sicile, at the moment when the Diadoque S take themselves the crown. On the end of its life, it must face the quarrels of succession which ensanglantent its family: its Archagathe grandson kills his uncle Agathoclès. The young man finishes with the remainder, if one believes of it Diodore, by poisoning his grandfather a few days after this one, which attacked the Bruttiens in Italy, received their embassy.

Agathoclès had married Théoxène, girl of Ptolémée I {{er}}. The girl of Agathoclès, Lanassa, becomes then the wife of Pyrrhus Ier of Épire.

Posterity

Agathoclès is the subject of a polemic among the old but so modern historians, it is attacked by Timée de Tauroménion, which it exiled with Athens into 316. This one claims thus that Agathoclès is male prostitute in his youth, taken again in that by Diodore of Sicily and Justin. Part of historiography thus draws up the portrait of a parvenu and a sanguinary despot.

For the others, Agathoclès is a large general, daring and inventive, doubled of a statesman which knew to impose Sicily like great power in the Mediterranean. Thus, it is defended by Polybe which, while recognizing its cruelty and its impiété, mentions admiration that Scipion carries to him the African. Itself explains (XII, 15,5 ‑ 8):

“It should well be recognized that nature had endowed Agathoclès with exceptional qualities, as it appears by the account even of Timée. So that it could, after being arrived at Syracuse towards the 18 years age, fleeing the turn, smoke and the clay, rising from there until becoming the Master of all Sicily, to make run in Carthage the worst dangers, to veillir in the capacity and to finish its life with the title of king, wasn't it necessary that Agathoclès had in him something of large and extraordinary, that it had with profusion the gifts and the capacities which make the statesman? ”

Sources

(XIX, XXI, XXII);
(XXII);
(IX, 7,23; XV, III, 54-55).

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