Editing Dionysius I of Syracuse

{{Short description|Greek tyrant of Syracuse (c. 432 – 367 BC)}}
[[File:Dionysius I of Syracuse.jpg|thumb|180px|Portrait from ''[[Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum]]'' (1553) by [[Guillaume Rouillé]]]]
'''Dionysius I''' or '''Dionysius the Elder''' ({{c.}} 432 – 367&nbsp;BC) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[tyrant]] of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]], [[Sicily]]. He conquered several cities in Sicily and southern Italy, opposed [[Carthage]]'s influence in Sicily and made Syracuse the most powerful of the Western [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] colonies. He was regarded by the ancients as the worst kind of despot: cruel, suspicious, and vindictive.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Dionysius (Tyrant of Syracuse)|display=Dionysius|volume=8|page=284}} Endnotes:
*[[Diodorus Siculus|Diod. Sic.]] xiii., xiv., xv. *J. Bass, ''Dionysius I. von Syrakus'' (Vienna, 1881), with full references to authorities in footnotes</ref>

==Early life==
Dionysius began his working life as a clerk in a public office.<ref name="EB1911"/> Because of his achievements in the war against Carthage that began in 409&nbsp;BC, he was elected supreme military commander in 406&nbsp;BC. In the following year he seized total power and became tyrant.<ref name=HM440/> He was married to [[Aristomache]], and had a daughter by her, [[Arete (daughter of Dionysius)|Arete]]. He was married at the same time to [[Doris of Locris]], who bore him his son, [[Dionysius II of Syracuse]].

==Rise to power==
Dionysius seized power with the help of a personal group of mercenaries, likely recruited from among the [[Sileraioi]]. This force, initially 600 men and later raised to 1,000, was granted to him as a bodyguard after he faked an attack on his own life.{{cn|date=December 2023}} Having consolidated his position, Dionysius imposed the mercenaries on all parts of the [[polis]] community, signaling that democracy had ended in Syracuse. His rule was "unconstitutional and illegitimate and could not fail to provoke rebellions among the partisans of democratic government".<ref>Yalichev, Serge. (1997) ''Mercenaries of the Ancient World'', London: Constable, page 210</ref> Dionysius' position at home was threatened as early as 403 by those philosophically opposed to tyranny. [[Ancient Sparta|Sparta]], which had in the past [[Deposition (politics)|deposed]] tyrants from [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]] to [[Ancient Athens|Athens]], did not damn Dionysius and his [[autocracy]]. In fact, according to the historian [[Diodorus Siculus]], relations between the two were very positive:

<blockquote>
When the Lacedaemonians [Spartans] had settled the affairs of Greece to their own taste, they dispatched Aristus, one of their distinguished men, to Syracuse, ostensibly pretending that they would overthrow the government, but in truth with intent to increase the power of the tyranny; for they hoped that by helping to establish the rule of Dionysius they would obtain his ready service because of their benefactions to him.<ref>Diodorus Siculus 14.10.2</ref></blockquote>

Dionysius even received the privilege of conscripting mercenaries from lands under Spartan authority. The demise of such a prominent democratic ''polis'' and the subsequent actions of Dionysius represented a recurring norm in fourth-century Greek states, thanks to the prevalence of mercenaries. The mercenary and the tyrant went hand in hand; for example, [[Polybius]] noted that "the security of despots rests entirely on the loyalty and power of mercenaries".<ref>Polybius 11.13</ref> [[Aristotle]] wrote that some form of "guard" (i.e., a personal army) is needed for absolute kingship,<ref name="Aristotle Politics 1286b28-40">Aristotle ''Politics'' 1286b28-40</ref> and for an elected tyrant an optimum number of professional soldiers should be employed. Too few would undermine the tyrant's power, while too many would threaten the polis itself. The philosopher also notes that the people of Syracuse were warned not to let Dionysius conscript too many "guards" during his regime.<ref name="Aristotle Politics 1286b28-40"/>

==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>

==Death==
[[File:293 of 'A History of Greece for High Schools and Academies' (11170122095) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kingdom of Dionysius, 367 BC]]
According to some sources, after gaining a prize for one of his tragedies, “The Ransom of Hector” (see ''[[#Intellectual tastes|Intellectual tastes]]'' below), at a competition at the [[Lenaia]] festival at Athens, he was so elated that he drank himself to death.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Others such as Cicero and Diodorus Siculus report that he died of natural causes shortly after learning of his play's victory in 367 BC.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cicero/de_Natura_Deorum/3B*.html | title=LacusCurtius • Cicero — de Natura Deorum III.61‑95 }}</ref> According to others, he was given an overdose of a sleeping potion by his physicians at the instigation of his son, [[Dionysius II of Syracuse|Dionysius the Younger]], who succeeded him as ruler of Syracuse.<ref name="EB1911" /> A similar theory, proposed by [[Justin (historian)|Justin]], stated that Dionysius "was defeated and broken by constant warfare, and finally murdered by a conspiracy of his own kin".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/english/trans20.html#5|title=Justin: Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus, Book 20|website=www.forumromanum.org|access-date=2020-02-23|archive-date=2020-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807043437/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/english/trans20.html#5|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Modern historian Jeff Champion states that there is no evidence to prove the claim he was conspired against.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbbNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT378 | title=The Tyrants of Syracuse Volume I: 480–367 BC | isbn=978-1-84884-934-1 | last1=Champion | first1=Jeff | date=23 February 2011 | publisher=Casemate Publishers }}</ref>

His life was written by [[Philistus]], but the work is lost.<ref name="EB1911"/>

==Intellectual tastes==
Like [[Pisistratus]], tyrant of [[Athens]], Dionysius was fond of having literary men around him, such as the historian [[Philistus]], the poet [[Philoxenus of Cythera|Philoxenus]], and the philosopher [[Plato]], but treated them in a most arbitrary manner.<ref name="EB1911"/> [[Diodorus Siculus]] relates in his ''[[Bibliotheca historica]]'' that Dionysius once had Philoxenus arrested and sent to the quarries for voicing a bad opinion about his poetry. The next day, he released Philoxenus because of his friends' requests, and brought the poet before him for another poetry reading. Dionysius read his own work and the audience applauded. When he asked Philoxenus how he liked it, the poet turned to the guards and said "take me back to the quarries."<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/15A*.html#6 The Library of History of Diodorus Siculus, Book XV, Chapter 6]. Loeb Classical Library (1935)</ref> [[Plutarch]] relates a version of this story in his [[Moralia|''On the Fortune of Alexander'']].<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Fortuna_Alexandri*/2.html#ref85 On the Fortune of Alexander, Second Oration, Chapter 1]. Loeb Classical Library (1935)</ref>

He also posed as an author and patron of literature; his poems, severely criticized by Philoxenus, were hissed at the Olympic games, but having gained a prize for a tragedy on the ''Ransom of Hector'' at the [[Lenaea]] at [[Athens]], he was so elated that he engaged in a debauch which, according to some sources, proved fatal.<ref name="EB1911"/> His name is also known for the legend of [[Damon and Pythias]], and he features indirectly (via his son) in the legend of the Sword of [[Damocles]]. The [[Ear of Dionysius]] in Syracuse is an artificial limestone cave named after Dionysius.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.algila.it/en/syracuse-and-surrounding/ortigia/l-orecchio-di-dionisio-the-ear-of-dionysius-in-syracuse-/126/|title=Turismo a Siracusa {{!}} Algila|website=Algilà|language=EN|access-date=2019-12-30}}</ref>

== Historical significance and legacy ==
{{Anchor|Historical Significance}}
Dionysius was one of the major figures in Greek and European history. He was a champion of the struggle between the Greeks and [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] for Sicily, and was the first to bring the war into the enemy's territory. He transformed Syracuse into the most powerful city in the Greek world, and made it the seat of an empire stretching from Sicily across to Italy. It is said that Dionysius foreshadowed the accomplishments of [[Alexander the Great]] and beyond him of [[Augustus]].{{cn|date=July 2024}} He also foreshadowed these later rulers in being one of the first Greek rulers to be given divine honors during his lifetime, and he made innovations in military technique, such as siege engines, which became a standard feature of warfare under Alexander the Great and later generals.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A history of Greece to the death of Alexander the Great|last1=Bury|first1=J. B.|last2=Meiggs|first2=Russell|publisher=Macmillan|year=1956|edition=3|location=London|pages=664–665}}</ref>

It has been theorized that [[Brennus (4th century BC)|Brennus]] was working in concert with Dionysius, who sought to control all of Sicily. Rome had strong allegiances with [[Messana]], a small city state in north east Sicily, which Dionysius wanted to control. Rome's army being pinned down by Brennus' efforts would have assisted Dionysius's campaign.<ref name="Duncan2016">{{cite book|last=Duncan|first=Mike|editor=Peter D. Campbell|title=The History of Rome: The Republic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZSzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT125|date=4 December 2016|publisher=Herodotus Press|isbn=978-0-473-36101-3|page=125}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Walls of Syracuse==
In 402 BC Dionysius I began building the walls of Syracuse, which included an impressive citadel, the [[Euryalus fortress]], protecting the plateau to the northwest of Syracuse, the remains of which are still visible today. The walls were completed in 397 BC and had the following characteristics:

* Length: 27 km
* Width at base: 3.3 m to 5.35 m
* Number of known towers on circuit: 14 (including Euryalos)
* Largest tower: 8.5 m x 8.5 m
* Deepest ditch (at Euryalos fortress): 9 m
Building so big a fortress would have involved installing well over 300 tons of stone every day for 5 years.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World |url=https://archive.org/details/seventywondersof00scar |url-access=limited |editor=Chris Scarre |year=1999 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |pages=[https://archive.org/details/seventywondersof00scar/page/210 210]–211|isbn=978-0-500-05096-5 }}</ref>

==In popular culture and literature==
Dionysius I is one of the central characters in the legend of the [[Damocles|Sword of Damocles]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cicero's Tusculan Disputations, On the Nature of the Gods, On the Commonwealth |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14988/14988-h/14988-h.htm#page-184 |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref>

Dionysius I also appears to be mentioned in [[Dante]]'s ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'' (of the ''[[Divine Comedy]]'') (1308–21) as a tyrant who suffers in a river of boiling blood, although there is some dispute the Dionysius of reference may be his son, Dionysius II.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singleton |first=Charles S. |title=Charles S. Singleton (1970-75), Inferno 12.107-108 |url=https://dante.dartmouth.edu/search_view.php?doc=197051121071&cmd=gotoresult&arg1=1 |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=dante.dartmouth.edu}}</ref>

He features prominently in [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s [[historical novel]] ''[[The Arrows of Hercules]]'' (1965) as a patron of inventors on the island of [[Ortygia]] near Syracuse. 

A fictional version of Dionysius is a character in [[Mary Renault]]'s historical novel ''[[The Mask of Apollo]]'' (1966). 

He is the main character in [[Valerio Massimo Manfredi]]'s novel ''Tyrant'' (2003).  

"Dionysius the Tyrant" is mentioned in the 2006 [[Robert Harris (novelist)|Robert Harris]] novel ''[[Imperium (Harris novel)|Imperium]]'' as the founder of the Stone Quarries of Syracuse. The narrator, [[Marcus Tullius Tiro]], proclaims the Stone Quarries "the most fearsome prison in the world."

He is featured in the 1962 film ''[[Damon and Pythias (1962 film)|Damon and Pythias]]'' (''Il tiranno di Siracusa''). 

He also features in  [[Friedrich Schiller]]'s "[[Die Bürgschaft]]", as well as [[Osamu Dazai]]'s reworked version "[[Run, Melos!]]".

==See also==
*[[Archimedes|Archimedes of Syracuse]]
*[[Pyrrhus of Epirus]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*"Tyrant" a novel by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, {{ISBN|0-330-42654-0}}
* Brian Caven: ''Dionysius I: War-Lord of Sicily.'' Yale University Press, 1990, {{ISBN|}}
* Frances Pownall: "Dionysius I and the Loneliness of Power (or, The Tyrant as Cyclops)", in: Rafał Matuszewski (ed.). ''Being Alone in Antiquity. Greco-Roman Ideas and Experiences of Misanthropy, Isolation and Solitude''. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2022, pp. 167–184.
* Lionel J. Sanders: ''Dionysius I of Syracuse and Greek Tyranny.'' Croom Helm, London 1987, {{ISBN|0-7099-5403-4}}
* Lionel J. Sanders: ''Dionisio I di Siracusa e la tirannide greca.'' Translation of Alessandro Michelucci, EOTI, Sutri 2015, {{ISBN|978-88-98430-01-7}}
* Karl Friedrich Stroheker: ''Dionysios I. Gestalt und Geschichte des Tyrannen von Syrakus.'' Franz Steiner, Wiesbaden 1958
* Karl Friedrich Stroheker: ''Dionisio I. Immagine e storia del tiranno di Siracusa.'' Translation of Alessandro Michelucci, EOTI, Sutri 2014, {{ISBN|978-88-98430-00-0}}

{{S-start}}
|  style="width:25%; text-align:center;"|'''Preceded by:'''<br>'''''[[democracy]]'''''<br> <small>position previously held <br>by [[Thrasybulus of Syracuse|Thrasybulus]] in 465 BC</small>
|  style="width:25%; text-align:center;"|'''[[List of Tyrants of Syracuse|Tyrant of Syracuse]]'''<br>405–367 BC
|  style="width:25%; text-align:center;"|'''Succeeded by:'''<br>'''[[Dionysius II of Syracuse|Dionysius the Younger]]'''
|-
{{S-end}}

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[[Category:430s BC births]]
[[Category:367 BC deaths]]
[[Category:5th-century BC Syracusans]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Syracusans]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek monarchs]]
[[Category:Sicilian tyrants]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek inventors]]
[[Category:People of the Sicilian Wars]]