Editing Timoleon (section)

==Sicily==
Because of inner strife, the depredations and decline in Syracuse caused by the despots [[Dionysius I of Syracuse|Dionysius I]] and [[Dionysius II of Syracuse|his son who succeeded him]], and because of the repeated conflicts with powerful Carthage, a group of Syracusans sent an  appeal for help to Corinth, their mother city, which reached that city-state in 344 BC.<ref>''History of Greece'', [[George Grote]], vol. 7 pp. 575-6.</ref> 
Corinth agreed to help, but her chief citizens declined to accept the seemingly hopeless task of establishing a stable government in tyrannical, fractious, insecure, and turbulent Syracuse.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Timoleon, being named by an unknown voice in the Corinthian popular assembly, was chosen by a unanimous vote to undertake the mission. He set sail for Sicily with seven ships, a few of the leading citizens of Corinth, and a small force of 700 Greek mercenaries.<ref name=":0" /> He eluded a Carthaginian squadron by an ingenious stratagem and landed at [[Tauromenium]] (now Taormina) in 344 BC, where he met with a friendly reception. At this time [[Hicetas of Leontini|Hicetas]], tyrant of [[Leontini]], was master of Syracuse, with the exception of the island of [[Ortygia]], which was occupied by [[Dionysius II of Syracuse|Dionysius II]], still nominally ruler.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

[[File:Sicily cultures 431bc.jpg|thumb|left|Sicily in 431 BC]]

Hicetas was defeated by Timoleon at [[Adrano|Adranum]], an inland town, and driven back to Syracuse. After his initial unexpected success, Timoleon was sent reinforcements from Corinth and some north-western Greek states.<ref name=":0" />  Following the [[Siege of Syracuse (343 BC)|siege of Syracuse]], Dionysius II surrendered Ortygia in 343 BC on the condition of his being granted a safe conduct to Corinth, where he ended his life as a private, well-off, citizen.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Hicetas now received help from Carthage (60,000 men), but ill-success roused mutual suspicion; the Carthaginians abandoned Hicetas, who was besieged in Leontini, and who was then compelled to surrender. Timoleon was thus master of Syracuse.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

He at once began the work of restoration, beginning with the symbolic act of destroying the citadel constructed and used by the tyrants to oppress the people of Syracuse, and replacing it with a courthouse. He brought new settlers to depopulated Sicily from all over Greece, and re-established a popular government on the basis of the democratic laws of [[Diocles of Syracuse|Diocles]]. The ''amphipolos'', or priest of Olympian [[Zeus]] ({{lang|grc|ἀμφίπολος Διὸς Ὀλυμπίου}}),<ref>{{LSJ|a)mfi/polos|ἀμφίπολος|ref}}.</ref> who was chosen annually by lot out of three clans, was invested with the chief magistracy. The impress of Timoleon's reforms seems to have lasted to the days of [[Augustus]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Hicetas persuaded Carthage to send (340–339 BC) a great army of 70,000 men, which landed at Lilybaeum (now [[Marsala]]). With a miscellaneous levy of about 12,000 men, most of them mercenaries, Timoleon marched westwards across the island to the neighbourhood of [[Selinus]]. Against all odds, after being deserted by a part of his army who believed that facing a foe six times as large as their own was hopeless, Timoleon, at the head of his infantry, won a great and decisive [[Battle of the Crimissus|victory on the Crimissus]]. His victory was made possible by the fact that the Carthaginian army had not yet completed the river crossing, so his small force only had to fight the elite part of the Carthaginian force. He was also aided by a violent storm at the backs of his troops but blinding to the Carthaginians.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Later, Carthage dispatched mercenaries to prolong the conflict between Timoleon and the Greek tyrants. But this ended in the defeat of Hicetas, who was taken prisoner and put to death. A treaty in 338 BC was agreed upon, by which Carthage was confined in Sicily to the west of the [[Platani (river)|Halycus (Platani) river]] and undertook to give no further help to Sicilian tyrants.  Most of the remaining tyrants were killed or expelled.<ref name="World, Editor p207">Historians' History of the World, Editor: Henry Smith Williams vol 4 p207</ref> This treaty gave the Greeks of Sicily many years of peace, restored prosperity, rule of law, and safety from Carthage.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}