Dionysius I: Warlord of Sicily

war-lord of Sicily

Plot

Portrays Dionysius I (c. 430-367 BC) not as a stock tyrant-figure but as a crusader, determined to liberate Sicily from the Carthaginiansand surpass in glory the greatest of Sicilian military heroes, Gelon of Syracuse who had crushed the Carthaginians a century earlier. After discussing the historical background down to 411 BC, Caven describes the first and second Carthaginian invasions of Sicily, Dionysius’s accession to power, his dealings with the Italiots and Greeks of the motherland, his conduct of the Punic Wars, and the nature of his empire.