Editing Dionysius I of Syracuse (section)

==Conquests==
{{See also|Battle of the Elleporus|Siege of Rhegium}}
[[Image:Dionysius of Syracuse military expedition for Alcetas Map (English).png|thumb|right|Dionysius of Syracuse's military attempts to place Alcetas in the throne of the Molossians]]

He fought a [[Sicilian Wars|war with Carthage]] from 397&nbsp;BC to 392&nbsp;BC with mixed success;<ref name=HM440>{{cite book
|title=The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography
|publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=0-618-25210-X |year=2003 |page=440}}</ref> his attempts to drive the [[Carthaginians]] entirely out of Sicily failed; at his death they were still masters of at least a third of it. 

He carried out an expedition against the [[Italiote League]] in 387 BC<ref name=HM440/> in southern Italy. In one campaign, in which he was joined by the Lucanians, he devastated the territories of [[Thurii]] and [[Crotone|Croton]] in an attempt to defend [[Locri]].<ref name="EB1911"/> After a protracted siege, he [[Siege of Rhegium|took Rhegium]] in 386 and sold the inhabitants as slaves. 

He also pillaged the temple of [[Caere]] (then allied with Rome) on the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] coast.<ref name="EB1911"/> In the [[Adriatic]], to facilitate trade, Dionysius founded [[Ancona]], [[Adria]] and [[Vis (island)|Issa]].<ref>Pseudoskylax, Periplus</ref> After him, the Adriatic became a sea of Syracuse. In the [[Corinthian War]], he joined the side of the [[Sparta]]ns and assisted them with [[mercenaries]] and ships (which contributed in  blocking the Athenians' supplies from the Black Sea forcing them to peace).<ref name="EB1911"/>

In 385 BC, [[Alcetas I of Epirus|Alcetas of Epirus]] was a refugee in Dionysius' court. Dionysius wanted a friendly monarch in [[Epirus]], so he sent 2,000 Greek [[hoplites]] and 500 suits of Greek armour to help the Illyrians under [[Bardyllis]] in attacking the [[Molossians]] of Epirus. They ravaged the region and killed 15,000 Molossians, and Alcetas regained his throne.<ref>''A History of Greece to 322 B.C.'', by N. G. L. Hammond. {{ISBN|0-19-873095-0}}, 1986, page 479: "... Molossi, Alcetas, who was a refugee at his court, Dionysius sent a supply of arms and 2,000 troops to the Illyrians, who burst into Epirus and slaughtered 15,000 Molossians. Sparta intervened as soon as they had learned of the events and expelled the Illyrians, but Alcetas had regained his ..."</ref> He joined the [[Illyria]]ns in an attempt to plunder the temple of [[Delphi]].<ref name="EB1911"/> Sparta intervened<ref>''A History of Greece to 322 B.C.'', by N. G. L. Hammond. {{ISBN|0-19-873095-0}}, 1986, page 470, "Sparta had the alliance of Thessaly, Macedonia, and Molossia in Epirus, which she had helped to stave off an Illyrian invasion. ..."</ref> under [[Agesilaus II|Agesilaus]], however, and with aid from Thessaly, Macedonia, and the Molossians themselves, the Spartans expelled<ref>Diodorus Siculus, ''Library'', Book 15.13.1,[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Diod.+15.13.1 Fifteenth Book of Diodorus]</ref> the Illyrians.<ref>''The Cambridge Ancient History'', by John Boardman, {{ISBN|0-521-23348-8}}, 1923, page 428: "Bardyllis who seized power and set himself up as king of the Dardani"...."Forming an alliance with Dionysius tyrant of Syracuse he killed 15,000 Molossians"</ref>