Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily
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Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Stephen Kyle Tadlock Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Professor Gregor Anderson, Advisor Professor Nathan Rosenstein Professor Timothy Gregory Copyrighted by Stephen Kyle Tadlock 2018 Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to lay the foundation for a new understanding of Sicilian history that returns these western Greeks to the fold of Hellenic history by showing that their experiences, both political and military, were not as unique as previously argued. The argument begins with mercenaries and tyrants, but then branches out to consider larger questions, such as the relationship between the Greek colonists and the natives of Sicily and the relative health of the polis system on the island. I begin by arguing, based on archaeological evidence, that the Greek colonists on Sicily were able to live at peace with those with whom they shared the island for at least a century. During this time, the Sicilian Greeks were able to transform their small colonies into thriving, politically-stable Greek cities, often rivaling and surpassing their metropoles in size and wealth. In the Archaic Age (800-490 BC), tyrants emerged on the island in similar numbers and used similar methods to obtain power as on the mainland. In neither location were mercenaries a primary means of seizing or maintaining power. Mercenaries only began to be used commonly on Sicily in the Classical Age (490-323 BC), when hired soldiers were becoming increasingly common in Greek warfare across the Mediterranean. It was also at this time that the relationship between tyrants and mercenaries was established by propaganda produced at Athens against Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse (r.405-367). In the end, I conclude that Sicily and mainland Greece were similar in terms of their military and political development. ii This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Lee Anne, whose years of loving support made its completion possible, and to my two little imps of distraction who have kept me from taking myself too seriously during the process. iii Acknowledgments Many teachers and professors have made this present work possible, and I want to take the time to thank those several individuals who have worn the hat of advisor and have guided me to this point. The first is Dr. Aileen Ajootian, who brought me into the fold of Classics and ancient history. I don’t think there has ever been a more fateful Latin 101 class than the one I attended in the Fall of 2006 at Ole Miss. Secondly, but no less importantly, is Professor Thomas Parker at North Carolina State University, who helped guide me through the process of obtaining my Master’s degree after a prolonged absence from academia. His supported me and believed in me when I did not, and without that, I would have not have made it to The Ohio State University. While at that final institution, I had the rare pleasure of working with two advisors. First, Dr. Nathan Rosenstein, who brought me into the program and provided the seeds from which this dissertation sprung, and Dr. Gregor Anderson, who helped nurture those ideas into their final form. As always, any flaws in the finished work are mine alone. iv Vita May 2002 .......................................................Presbyterian Christian High School 2006................................................................B.A. History and Classics, University of Mississippi 2012................................................................M.A. History, North Carolina State University 2012 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of History, The Ohio State University Publications 2011. “Behind the Pelte: The Identity of Athenian and Spartan Peltasts in the Peloponnesian and Corinthian Wars,” Tuckasegee Valley Historical Review 27: 54-79 2017. “A Fragmented History of Ancient Generalship.” Review of J. Roisman, The Classical Art of Command: Eight Greek Generals Who Shaped the History of Warfare Book Review Published in Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (June) Fields of Study Major Field: History v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi Introduction: Spears and Sovereigns .................................................................................. 1 The Historical Question ............................................................................................................................... 3 Scholarship on Greeks in the Western Mediterranean................................................................................. 5 The Ancient Sources ................................................................................................................................... 6 Scholarship on Sicilian Politics and Tyranny .............................................................................................. 8 Definition of the “Tyrant” ......................................................................................................................... 10 Greek Warfare ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Mercenaries and their Role in Warfare ...................................................................................................... 20 Chapter Summaries ................................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 1: Colonists and Conflicts ................................................................................... 27 The Nature of a Greek Colony .................................................................................................................. 27 The Native Population(s) of Sicily ............................................................................................................ 30 Phoenicians on Sicily ................................................................................................................................ 34 Other Parties with an Interest in Sicily ...................................................................................................... 38 The Genesis of Conflict on Sicily ............................................................................................................. 40 Archaeological Evidence: Graveyards ...................................................................................................... 47 The Size of Greek Colonizing Parties ....................................................................................................... 49 Archaeological Evidence: Walls ............................................................................................................... 51 vi Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Chapter 2: Monarchs and Mercenaries ............................................................................. 60 Tyrants of the Greek Mainland .................................................................................................................. 60 Tyrants of Sicily ........................................................................................................................................ 66 An Historiographical Interlude .................................................................................................................. 77 Comparison and Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 3: The Demos and the Demogogue ..................................................................... 83 “Democratic” Syracuse? ............................................................................................................................ 83 Major Events on Sicily .............................................................................................................................. 87 Syracuse in the Aftermath ......................................................................................................................... 95 War with Carthage..................................................................................................................................... 96 Dionysius the General ............................................................................................................................