Hiketas (tyrant of Syracuse)

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Hiketas ( ancient Greek Ἱκέτας or Ἱκέτης) was in the early 3rd century BC. BC tyrant of Syracuse on the island of Sicily .

Life

After the death of the tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse in 289 BC. The officer Menon, who came from Segesta and was one of the confidants of the late ruler, fled to his grandson Archagathos, who was with his troops in the Etna area . Archagathos, whose father was a son of Agathocles who had already died from his first marriage, had opposed his grandfather's intention to make his son from his second marriage as his successor and had killed the rival. Menon killed Archagathos and took command of his mercenaries, whose trust he won. With this army Menon turned against Syracuse in order to usurp power there. The Syracusans then elected Hiketas, one of their fellow citizens, to be their general and evidently granted him special powers to repel the impending attack. Hiketas thus became a de facto tyrant and received the status of Agathocles under constitutional law, but without his royal title. The gold coins struck in Syracuse with the image and name of Hiketas, the inscription “At the time of Hiketas” ( ΕΠΙ ΙΚΕΤΑ ), indicate that Hiketas was the ruler but did not accept the title of king.

The military conflict between Hiketas and Menon did not lead to a decision for a long time, but finally the Carthaginian troops allied with Menon defeated the army of the Syracusans, whereupon Hiketas had to make peace and agree to the return of exiles (probably opponents of Agathocles); in addition, Syracuse had to host hostages.

The inner-city unrest that broke out a little later led to the expulsion of the Mamertines ("Martians"), Campanian mercenaries whose naturalization Agathocles had initiated. In Syracuse, Hiketas remained in his position of power. He waged a war against Phintias , the tyrant of Akragas (today's Agrigento ), which he ended victoriously. Later he was defeated by the Carthaginians on the Terias river (today Fiume San Leonardo). Probably through this defeat, his position was so weakened that an officer named Thoinon, who was probably a mercenary leader, managed to overthrow him and drive him from Syracuse.

literature

  • Helmut Berve : The tyranny among the Greeks. Volume 1: Presentation. Beck, Munich 1967, pp. 458-460.
  • 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 , pp. 48-49 (also: Munich, Univ., Diss., 2003).

Remarks

  1. Diodorus 21, 16, 6 and 21, 18, 1ff.
  2. Diodorus 22, 2, 1 and 22, 7, 2f.
predecessor Office successor
Agathocles Tyrant of Syracuse
289–280 BC Chr.
Pyrrhus of Syracuse