Dynamic list of ancient Greek rulers over Syracuse
Syracuse (Ancient Greek:Συρακοῦσαι;Sicilian:Tiranni di Sarausa) was anancient Greekcity-state, located on the east coast ofSicily,Magna Graecia. The city was founded by settlers fromCorinth in 734 or 733 BC, and wasconquered by theRomans in 212 BC, after which it became the seat of Roman rule in Sicily. Throughout much of its history as an independent city, it was governed by a succession oftyrants, with only short periods ofdemocracy andoligarchy. WhilePindar addressed the Deinomenids as kings (basileus) in his odes, it is not clear that this (or any other title) was officially used by any of the tyrants untilAgathocles adopted the title in 304.[1]
Thrasybulus was deposed in 465 and Syracuse had a republican government for the next sixty years. This period is usually known as theSecond Democracy (465-405). The extent to which Syracuse was ademocracy in the same sense as Athens during this period is debated.
Timoleon revived a republican form of government in Syracuse, which continued after his death. This period is usually known as theThird Democracy (337-317). The name is misleading; for at least some of the period Syracuse was run as anoligarchy.
Numismatic evidence suggests that republican government may have existed for a few years between the death of Agathokles and Hicetas' assumption of power; this is sometimes referred to as theFourth Democracy (289-287?). Nothing is known about it.
In the aftermath of the devastating Roman defeat at theBattle of Cannae, Hieronymus entered into an alliance withHannibal, which would ultimately decide the city's fate politically. As a result of Syracuse's support for Carthage, the Romans underMarcus Claudius Marcellus began besieging the city in 214 BC. Hieronymus was assassinated shortly thereafter and a republican government restored (theFifth Democracy) but the city fell to the Romans in 212 BC.
