Hieron II of Syracuse
Hieron II ( Greek Ἱέρων Βʹ Hiérōn B , Latin Hiero ; * around 306 BC; † beginning of 215 BC ) was king of Syracuse from 269 to 215 BC. Because of his seizure of power through a coup d'état, he is also counted among the tyrants who ruled Sicily during the epoch of the "younger tyranny". Hieron played an important role first as an opponent, then as an ally of the Romans in the First Punic War and in the initial phase of the Second Punic War .
Hieron was the illegitimate son of Hierocles, a Syracuse nobleman who claimed to be of Gelon . When Pyrrhos of Epirus Sicily in 275 BC When he left Syracuse, troops stationed outside the city of Syracuse chose Hieron as their general. Most of them were mercenaries. Thereupon Hieron penetrated the city with his army, took over the rule by force and let himself be elected by the people's assembly as supreme commander with extraordinary powers ( strategos autokrator ). Under constitutional law, this assumption of power was a coup and meant that a tyrannical rule (tyranny) was established. Hieron strengthened his position by marrying the daughter of Leptines, one of the city's leading oligarchs .
At that time the Mamertines , a group of Campanian mercenaries recruited by Agathocles, had occupied the fortress of Messana , from where they terrified the Syracusans. They were ultimately defeated by Hieron in a battle near Mylae , but Hieron was prevented from occupying Messana by the objection of Carthage . 269 BC He was proclaimed king by the Syracusans and allies in the army.
In 264 BC In BC Hieron went again to attack the Mamertines, who in turn asked the Roman Republic for help. Hieron then joined the Punic general Hanno , who had recently landed in Sicily, but withdrew to Syracuse after he had been defeated by the consul Appius Claudius Caudex . Under pressure from the Roman forces, he saw himself in 263 BC. He was forced to conclude a treaty with Rome, which left him the south-east of Sicily and the east coast up to Tauromenium (Taormina) as a dominion.
From then until his death in 215 BC. He behaved loyally to the Romans and occasionally supported them in the Punic Wars with men and provisions. He financed a powerful defensive fleet and employed his famous member Archimedes to construct the machines that would later play an important role during the siege of Syracuse by the Romans.
A picture of Syracuse prosperity under his reign is presented in the 16th Idyll by Theocritus , his favorite poet.
Hieron II is also known for his palace ship Syracusia , which was one of the largest ships of antiquity. It was said to be way too big for any port in the Mediterranean except for the port of Alexandria . Hieron later gave it to King Ptolemy III. of Egypt.
The sources on Hieron II are Diodorus , Justin , Livius , Polybios and Johannes Zonaras .
literature
- Martin Dreher , Martin Müller: The kings of Syracuse. In: Kay Ehling , Gregor Weber (Ed.): Hellenistic Kingdoms. von Zabern, Darmstadt 2014, ISBN 978-3-8053-4758-7 , pp. 123–128, especially 125–127.
- Thomas Lenschau : Hieron 13 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VIII, 2, Stuttgart 1913, Sp. 1503-1511.
- Caroline Lehmler: Syracuse under Agathocles and Hieron II. The connection of culture and power in a Hellenistic metropolis. Verlag Antike, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-938032-07-3 .
- Klaus Meister : Hieron [2]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 5, Metzler, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-476-01475-4 , Sp. 544 f.
Remarks
- ↑ Polybios 1,8-16; Zonaras 8.9.
- ^ Livy 21: 49-51; 22.37; 23.21.
- ↑ Diodorus 22.24-26.24.
- ↑ Justin 23.4.
- ^ Livy 21: 49-51; 22.37; 23.21.
- ↑ Polybios 1.8-6.7.
- ↑ Zonaras 8.9.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hieron II of Syracuse |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hiero II. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek ruler |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 306 BC Chr. |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Syracuse |
| DATE OF DEATH | 215 BC Chr. |
| Place of death | Syracuse |