The Forgotten Punic Wars - Greece vs Carthage (481-306 BC) FULL DOCUMENTARY

Carthage was an economic Powerhouse whose wealth propelled it from the status of humble colony to Mighty Empire but success was not achieved by the hands of explorers and Traders alone there was a blood tax to pay this burden was shouldered by the Punic military which deployed fleets and armies across the Mediterranean countless Wars would be fought to establish expand and maintain the vast influence Network which lay at the foundation of the carthaginian Empire but perhaps the greatest challenge would come in the struggle for Sicily it would be here in this Proving Ground that vast sums of blood and treasure would be spilled over the centuries today we'll be diving into the history of these Punic Sicilian Wars I love learning about these units and battles of history but I have to admit they always leave me with an itch for taking up the command share myself but you can do so today through our sponsor War Thunder it's one of the most comprehensive vehicle-based combat games ever made 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this game offers which has yielded some of my favorite High adrenaline moments of the year so play War Thunder today for free on PC Xbox series X and S and PS5 by using my link to download the game and get your exclusive bonus of multiple premium Vehicles a premium account boosters and more see you on the battlefield before we start we must ask ourselves why Sicily what made it so special well as with many historical questions much can be learned by turning to geography here we find that the island of Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean at the focal point of many important trade routes which crisscross the Known World the master of Sicily thus held the keys to controlling this fast Market important strategic locations included the numerous natural Harbors dotting the coast The Straits of masana and the smaller neighboring archipelagos such as the agates and the aeolian islands as for Sicily itself there is much to talk about the land is dominated by mountains which cover roughly 25 percent of the terrain with another 60 taking the form of Hill Country which eventually descends into the remaining 15 percent of lowlands but despite the somewhat inhospitable sounding figures Sicily actually proved to be quite an Ideal Home its slopes were filled with many life-bringing rivers and natural springs while its mild climate and fertile volcanic fed soils made it an ideal place to grow crops in fact Sicily's agricultural abundance would later be demonstrated when it became an important Bread Basket for the Roman Republic in addition to what the land provided the surrounding Seas also held abundant Maritime resources the primary beneficiaries of these geographic features were the early inhabitants of the island in this regard there were three major groups the elimi the tsukani and the sikuli these tribes inhabited many settlements which sprung up across the landscape and eventually developed into a series of complex Urban Villages and towns over the course of the Bronze Age some banded together into loose federations but by and large they remain fairly independent however they would not be alone for long as others looked on to their homes with envious eyes the enticing nature of Sicily brought new guests from across the Mediterranean one of the earliest groups to arrive were the Phoenicians who began to set up trade posts and establish colonies as early as the 11th century BC these were mostly located on the western side of the island nearest Africa and included the early settlements of little bam matya panoramus and salontum at around the same time the Greeks also began planting their own colonies on the Eastern end of the island these included the settlements of naxos acrogas gella cantoneseana and Humera but Chief amongst them would be the colony of Syracuse founded by the Corinthians in 734 BC it would rise to become one of the largest Greek cities of its time with huge influence over the Affairs of not just Sicily but also the wider Hellenistic world the introduction of these Phoenician and Greek colonies transformed the island in many cases their presence displaced the locals who were forced up into the central Hinterlands other times though communities would live alongside each other and begin to assimilate over the centuries this cross-pollination of ideas led to a fascinating meld of cultures across the region with unique new hybridized Customs religion and architecture in addition the population itself was increasingly intertwined as many new marriages Bridge The Divide between the various Sicilian Greek and Phoenician groups the end result was a complicated web of relationships which created an incredibly fluid and dynamic political situation even at the best of times the status quo was inherently unstable this all was made worse by expansionist forces which constantly feuded for control of Sicily from both within and without Warfare therefore became endemic as small conflicts often snowballed into massive Wars with chains of alliances forming up on either side of Any Given issue it's in the context of this turbulent backdrop that Carthage would first become involved in Sicilian affairs one could argue that Carthage played a role in Sicily from its very founded after all as a colony itself at the Hub of important trade routes its Merchants surely set foot on the island many times in the pursuit of their deals but for the most part carthaginian involvement remained at this relatively low level and its projection of soft power was no more pronounced than many of the other Phoenician colonies things would however begin to change by the 6th Century BC with the decline of tires influence in the west and the ascent of Carthage to take its place the new Rising Punic power was Keen to flex its muscles by exerting more influence over the Strategic island of Sicily both economically and politically this began in the west where Carthage would offer settlements protection in exchange for a tribute Manpower and access to trade over time cultural osmosis meant that many of these entered into such treaties eventually adopted carthaginian customs and dialects within a few decades Carthage thus waded deeper into the quicksand of Sicilian affairs sometime in the middle of the 6th Century BC this appears to have led the nobility of Carthage to finally turn its soft power into hard power Justin a Roman historian tells us that the semi-mythical king malcus took the lead by raising a large carthaginian army and invading the island the few records exist it appears that his campaign involved capturing booty and slaves and sacking a number of areas in the western regions certainly this one malcus enough profit and renowned for him to return home in celebration however his impact on the island amounted to little more than a propaganda Victory as we have no evidence of direct rule being established over Sicily in this period nonetheless the president sent by this first campaign paved the way for future conflict after all Carthage had proven to all observers that it was a force to be reckoned with one both willing and able to throw its weight around we see this next come into play in 510 BC when the Spartan Prince Darius sought to establish a new colony in Sicily the local amines of suggesta mounted in opposition to the new arrivals and appeared to have turned to the carthaginians for help while we don't know exactly what happened the Newfound allies ultimately proved victorious in these efforts thus we see that parties on both sides of the narrow divide between Sicily and North Africa could take advantage of increased Punic involvement it's hard to imagine however if either side could have foreseen what was to come [Music] the Catalyst for the next wave of violence took place at the start of the 5th Century BC it's at this point that the political winds had once again shifted in Sicily as an increasing number of Greek colonies fell under the sway of tyrants in the South two Dorian Greek rulers Consolidated power with galon laying claim to the lands around Syracuse while his ally Theron sees the central lands around a kragus together they were poised to dominate the other Greek Sicilian and Phoenician leaders meanwhile the ionian Greek resistance Consolidated in the north behind the leadership of torillius of Humira and anaxilis of region but how long could they hold out against the tyrants for Carthage this was not a question they could wait to have answered according to the historian deodorus they therefore begin to Draft plans for military intervention in these matters it is likely that the rising magnet Clan and their leader hamelkar the first played a large part in directing Punic foreign policy when Theron took over the city of Humira in 483 BC the ousted leader turelius called on the carthaginians for Aid this was the Casas ballet they had long awaited a huge Army was now raised consisting of carthaginians libyans sardinians gulls and iberians this great host set sail from the West with a fleet of several hundred ships at the exact same time King Xerxes of Persia launched his own assault on Mainland Greece the Hellenistic World risks being devoured from both ends however this Unity amongst the Greeks meant that neither the Sicilians nor the mainlanders send each other Aid in defense and many cities actually sided with the foreigners in their respective theaters things were not looking good luckily the Greeks were favored by Poseidon and the incoming Punic fleet was battered by storms during the crossing to pinormous which cost them many horses it also meant that hamilkar had to pause temporarily to regroup and repair his forces which gave the Greeks precious time to mount an opposition this allowed the Tyrant Theron to fortify himera while his ally Galan rushed to meet him with a veteran Army of some 50 000 foot and 5 000 horse after three days Hamilton proceeded to the hilltop city of Humira establishing a camp with his ships by the Sea and another on one of The Ridges to the west of the city hamilkar soon managed to defeat Theron's forces in a pitch battle forcing them back into the City and allowing his own troops to now pillage the area with apparent impunity however their early victories would be reversed with the arrival of geylon from the East the reduced numbers of Punic Cavalry proved unable to hold off the enemy and Greek Horsemen overran the dispersed Marauders with heavy losses hamakar withdrew into his camp and sent letters now calling for Cavalry reinforcements from his own ionian Greek allies unfortunately these messages were intercepted by geylon rather than deny Aid entirely the clever Commander disguised his own forces as reinforcements and sent them over to the enemy camp at Daybreak as if they were there to help the carthaginians fell for the ruse and admitted the Cavalry into their ranks a few hours later the main Greek Force swept around the south side of Humira in response the carthaginian Army emerged to meet them and a massive pitch battle ensued theodorus tsychulus writes that quote they sounded With The Trumpets the signal for battle and a shout arose from the two armies one after the other each eagerly striving to outdo their adversaries in the volume of their cheering the slaughter was great and the battle was swaying back and forth the recent discovery of mass military Graves near the site confirmed the viciousness of this fight with hundreds of skeletons bearing the traces of deep wounds caused by arrows Spears swords and daggers the two sides must have clashed in a fierce bloody fight which dragged on for hours at this critical moment the Trap within the C Camp was sprung and the disguised Greeks Unleashed chaos slaughtering the bewildered carthaginias here deodorus records the Precision of the strike which unfolded quote they at once galloped to where the general hamonkar was busy with the sacrifice slew him and then Set Fire to the ships thereupon the scouts raised the signal and gel on Advanced with his entire Army in battle order against the carthaginian camp the smoke and panic of the camp had a direct impact on the main battle emboldening the Greeks and causing a route amongst the carthaginians the fighting now moved to the land camp where Punic forces rallied punching back against the disorganized Greek pursuers and threatening to reverse the entire situation but the tide of battle once again changed when Theron's forces in Humira now sallied out to strike the flank this final blow shattered The carthaginians Who fled in all directions here is how deodorus recounts the event quote since galon had given orders to take no prisoners there followed a great Slaughter of the enemy in their flight and in the end no less than 150 000 of them were slain all who escaped the battle and fled to a strong position at first warded off the attackers but the position they had seized had no water and thirst compelled them to surrender to the victors just under half of the carthaginian army and a small number of ships managed to escape yet on the journey home they were struck with another storm which reportedly sank most of the fleet thus the first Sicilian war ended in spectacular defeat for the Punic power [Music] the victory was celebrated endlessly across the Greek World whose armies had simultaneously managed to score wins against the invading armies of Xerxes at salamis and hamelkar at Humera in the short term Carthage is said to have braced for a counter-attack when this stood out materialize they sent embassies back to Sicily apparently the Greek tyrants were content to solidify their Holdings on the island and accepted as ceasefire without further Bloodshed in exchange for an Indemnity of 2 000 silver talents in the following decades Carthage would lick its Sicilian wounds and turn its attention to other theaters of War such as North Africa and Sardinia during this time though a new status quo developed in Sicily as the local Powers adjusted to the Punic withdrawal this largely benefited the tyrants Theron and geylon who now reigned uncontested but as always in Sicily peace was tentative and coalitions inevitably reformed to oppose the current reigning power for the most part this took the form of the ongoing feud between the ionian and Dorian Greeks with the Sicilians caught in the middle when the tyrants died their heirs were unable to maintain their grip on Power and the island once again slipped into a fractured state of warfare with over a dozen competing factions the question was once again posed who would be the master of Sicily Carthage now having recovered and standing stronger than ever before would have something to say on the matter [Music] as Carthage sought to flex its military might overseas King hamalkar leader of the powerful magnet Clan was Keen to gain a foothold on the Strategic island of Sicily thus it was that in 480 BC he launched a grand campaign to assist local Greek allies against the reigning powers of acrogas and Syracuse this first Punic Sicilian War would climax at the Battle of Humira which saw fatal series of disasters lead to the ultimate defeat of the carthaginines for 70 years their armies would not set foot on the island however the Ascension of Hannibal grandson of the slain Hamel car would see Decades of pent-up resentment Unleashed upon the island he would ensure that the black stain of Humira would be washed clean with waves of Bloodshed this would be his finest hour foreign following the expulsion of carthage's military Invasion the Victorious tyrants Theron and Golan were able to consolidate their power on the island and even boost their geopolitical stature across the Hellenic world yet as would occur in Mainland Greece the defeat of a unifying external threat quickly resulted in a return to traditional Corals in the same way that Athens and Sparta would soon turn on one another this shift was also made apparent in Sicily when the new rulers of acrogas and Syracuse came to blows in both cases this fracturing of Greek Unity would Grant reprieve to their enemies Carthage for instance was able to use this interbellum period to rise to new heights they ramped up their Mercantile activities across the Mediterranean and ushered in a grand Age of Exploration for instance two famous Punic Navigators would sail exploratory fleets beyond the pillars of Hercules with himelco heading north along the European Coast in search of the Isles of tin and Hano heading south along the African Coast in search of New Colony sites and perhaps even a circumnavigation of continent stories of their exploits would be widely circulated and exotic trophy such as gorilla skins would reportedly be displayed in the city of Carthage itself inspiring the next generation of ambitious children one of these would have been Hannibal grandson of the defeated hamelkar who will play a key part in our upcoming story around the same time we hear of how the city further expanded across the lands of North Africa bringing more Phoenician colonies and neighbors into the fold while striking out with distant expeditions to establish relations with the garamantes and the karenakans across the desert closer to home it seems that political changes even saw the monarchy give way to a republican form of government with new institutions such as the sefuture the popular assembly and the tribunal of 104 which would be praised by philosophers such as Aristotle amidst this newfound stability and prosperity the Punic leaders would not lose sight of their dreams of controlling the central Mediterranean thus we see them increasingly invest in the projection of soft power through trade treaties and the construction of new fortifications across areas of Sardinia and Western Sicily yet for now they would buy their time and avoid outright conflict with the Greek world for example when the Peloponnesian War would spill over into Sicily they carefully avoided becoming sucked into the chaos despite reportedly being asked to intercede best to let the Greeks bloody themselves while waiting patiently on the sidelines although Carthage would remain out of the picture for another half decade it will still be relevant for us to give some context for the war that was about to erupt in Sicily this would be but one chapter in the larger Narrative of the Peloponnesian War which had seen Athens and Sparta clash with their allies for hegemony of the Greek world starting in 431 BC and lasting over 20 years the two sides would bloody one another in a war of escalating bloodshed recently Sparta had gained the edge over an increasingly desperate Athens that now looked to even the odds thus when the opportunity arose to side with the city of sugasta in a local conflict against Salinas the Athenians pounced at the invitation to collect the funds in Manpower which had been promised them for their aid in 415 BC they set off with a fleet of over 100 ships for the great Sicilian expedition to their dismay it was soon discovered that suggesta was in no position to pay up for the assistance as promised but with such a force already marshaled the Invaders were not keen to turn home empty-handed instead they sought to make war upon Syracuse Victory would serve not only to a potential Spartan Ally but could also bring with it far more wealth and Manpower than might ever have been offered by the minor settlements of Sicily this campaign began with initial success in the first year the Athenians made Headway along Eastern Sicily when Syracuse attempted to March North against them the Invaders managed to sail behind them to establish a fortified beachhead in the great Harbor the pitch battle then ensued which saw the Athenian veterans Prevail over the syracusans pushing them back Behind the Walls through the entirety of 414 BC the Athenians engaged the syracusans in a grinding siege that saw an impressive series of walls and counterwalls constructed across the rugged outskirts of the city as would occur many times in this period as soon as there was blood in the water other sharks would come out to feed sensing an opportunity Sparta and Corinth now came to the aid of Syracuse with a relief Force this in addition to ongoing attrition and disease did much to turn the tide against the Athenians but just as the Invaders began to consider a withdrawal the syracusins launched a vicious Naval attack which dealt heavy casualties and crippled their Fleet fighting continued for several days and ultimately the Athenian Commander sought to salvage the situation by making a land retreat this force would be devastated in the attempt with all survivors either being executed or worked to death in the stone quarries as retribution for the syracusans it was a glorious victory yet as was always the case in Sicily there was little time to celebrate before the outbreak of the next conflict the spark for war was lit when the feud between suggesta and Salinas once again flared up in this contest the leaders of sugasta turned to the carthaginians for assistance this was precisely the opportunity that the Punic leader Hannibal was looking for however he also knew that provoking Syracuse prematurely could risk the campaign thus envoys were sent to the Eastern Greek City to prevent escalation and even asked for arbitration of the conflict this appears to have worked to preserve Syracuse in neutrality likely due to the idea that they were more preoccupied with the aftermath of the Athenian Expedition and all the message geopolitics that entailed with this green light the carthaginians immediately hired a small mercenary force of about 6 000 Libyan and Italian mercenaries and dispatched them to suggesta here the force helped route the army of Salinas surprisingly these Greeks were Furious that their rival had unilaterally sought external help in the conflict and now sought to level the field by calling upon their own allies once more The Dominoes of War began to fall but while the syracusians debated this new predicament Carthage brought down the hammer in 410 BC they launched an expeditionary Force which would now end the 70 years of peace and launch the Second Punic Sicilian War here is how deodorus syculus recounts their arrival in awe quote at this time Hannibal the general of the carthaginians gathered together both the mercenaries he had collected from Iberia and the soldiers he had enrolled from Libya men 60 ships of war and made ready some 1500 transports on these he loaded the troops The Siege engines missiles and all the other accessories after Crossing with the fleet the Libyan sea he came to land in Sicily on the Promontory which lies opposite Libya and is called Lila bam and at that very time some Cavalry from Salinas were tearing in these regions and having seen the great size of the fleet as it came to land they spewedily informed their fellow citizens of the presence of the enemy Hannibal had all told as if Forest has recorded 200 000 infantry and four thousand Cavalry but as Tamaya says not many more than one hundred thousand men his ships he hauled on land in the bay about matya every one of them wishing to give the syracusans the impression that he had not come to make war upon them or to sail along the coast with his Naval Force against Syracuse while modern estimates tend to place the invading Army at closer to forty thousand it was nonetheless an immense Force which dwarfed the roughly twenty thousand or so inhabitants of Salinas and was fully capable of significantly altering the balance of power in Sicily as the campaign got underway Hannibal's first move was to link up with his suggestion allies and together March upon Salinas before Syracuse could respond unlike his grandfather Hannibal was fully prepared to take his first fortified objective by storm to this end the poor state of the Salinas walls made his shock in all tactics all the more effective Siege Towers were brought against the walls bettering Rams rolled against the gates and great streams of projectiles reigned upon the Defenders breaches were formed and through these poured the carthaginians with the Greeks mounted A desperate defense to hold them at Bay we were told that this brutal fighting lasted for nine days as The Invader slowly cut their way through the city while under constant attack by enemy soldiers on the ground and citizens overhead who hurled projectiles down upon their ranks Street by Street building by building the carthaginians advanced through Salinas until they reached the Agora this is where the Defenders made their last stand Hannibal showed no mercy and they were all cut down to the last their bodies joining The Sixteen thousand corpses which choked the bloody streets and burnt homes of the city deodorus reports that the Army brutally murdered or enslaved all survivors took everything of value and engaged in a final night of rape and bloodshed before destroying the city but the carthaginians did not stop there having reasserted their dominance they now levied local allies to swell their numbers to over 60 000 infantry and next descended upon Humera this was both a strategic and personal objective for Hannibal wasting no time he was Keen not to repeat the mistakes of his grandfather and prepared to once again take this next Bastion by storm the hemarans had heard what befell their neighbors within the walls of the city and therefore decided to Sally forth from the gates this bold attempt was summarily crushed by the overwhelming force of the carthaginians but now Syracuse had managed to ship 4 000 reinforcements to the city urging calm and resolve in the face of the attack however the citizens were terrified of what fate might befall them and began to evacuate amidst the chaos Hannibal gave no pause and now ordered his armies and Siege engines to take Humera when rumors spread that Carthage was simultaneously preparing a secret attack on Syracuse their own troops within the city panicked they immediately boarded their ships for home carrying with them as many civilians as could be spared and vowing to return shortly thereafter to save the rest theodorus recounts what happened next quote those who had been left behind in Humera spent the night underarms on the walls and when Dawn arrived the carthaginians surrounded the city and launched repeated attacks the remaining hemarans fought with no thought for their lives expecting the arrival of the ships for that day therefore they continued to hold out but on the next even when the trirams were already in sight it so happened that the wall began to fall before the blows of The Siege engines and the iberians to pour in a body into the city some of the barbarians there upon would hold off the hamarins who rushed up to bring Aid While others gaining command of the walls would help their comrades get in now that the city had been taken by storm for a long time The Barbarians continued with no sign of compassion to slaughter everyone They seized but when Hannibal issued orders to take prisoners although the slaughter stopped the wealth of the dwellings now became the object of plunder Hannibal after sacking the temples and dragging out the supplians who had fled for them for safety set them a fire and the city he raised to the ground 240 years after its founding of the captives he distributed the women and children among the Army and kept them under guard but the men whom he took captive some 3000 he led to the spot where once his grandfather hamelkar had been slain by Galan and after torturing them put them all to death a terrifying message had just been sent the might of Carthage was not to be ignored Hannibal had made sure of it and buried the stain of Humira alongside the thousands of dead Greeks this demonstration sent chills across the island having accomplished all he wished to do Hannibal then departed back to Carthage taking his army and loot with him he left behind a Sicily ravaged by Warfare in his wake in the aftermath only the powerful cities of akaragus and Syracuse could be said to challenge Punic Supremacy on the island however with the carthaginian force having withdrawn neither proved quick to act it was only in 407 BC that an exiled Syracuse in general named hemocrates reopened the war by invading The Phoenician cities in the west he did so by recruiting the survivors of Humira and Salinas to form a six thousand man strong warband these now raided The Phoenician regions of the West burning their crops enslaving inhabitants and defeating local militias in battle to shock the civilians of Syracuse into action democrates then went to the charred ruins of Humira collected the surviving inhabitants and sent them on to Syracuse to show what the carthaginians had done it appears that this move was also meant to bring about a political Revolt that would overthrow the Democracy of the city and see Hippocrates named its tyrant the plan however fell apart and he was killed in the attempt in response the carthaginians voted to resume the war and re-elected Hannibal as their General he promptly named his magnet Kinsmen himacho as his second in command and raised another massive Force for the campaign the Greeks of Sicily caught wind of their preparations and deployed a fleet of tribes to monitor The Straits between them and North Africa in 406 BC Hannibal was ready a Vanguard fleet was sent forth to clear the way clashing with the Greeks in the Open Seas roughly 80 ships partook in the battle with both sides taking heavy damage Carthage lost 15 ships and was driven from the field but the syracusans were also forced to fall back shortly thereafter the way was now clear for Hannibal who promptly landed his forces at Matia the primary objective for the campaign was the Greek city of acrogas it rivaled Syracuse in size population and wealth while commanding strategic control over Central Sicily but this was no hindrance for Hannibal and his force of sixty thousand soldiers these Now quickly Advanced upon the city and laid Siege to it however acrogas had learned from the prior campaigns and was ready for this they had called all the crops from around the city to deprive the enemy of food whilst building up a massive reserve of supplies within their own walls thus it was with confidence that they rejected carthaginian offers for surrender anticipating this Hannibal tightened his Stranglehold upon the city and began to deploy his Siege engines as the weeks dragged on however an unforeseen enemy would strike plague broke out in the camp of the procedures it's unclear as to the cause but deodorusiculus a Greek himself claims that the carthaginians had drawn the ire of the Gods by disagrating Greek tombs whatever the case thousands of men died including the great General Hannibal himself but his ambitious Spirit would live on in himulko who redoubled the Army's commitment to The Siege with the construction of additional fortifications this proved fortuitous as a large Syracuse and relief Force arrived to lift The Siege these managed to defeat the carthaginians in open battle but could not drive them out from their defensive positions as a result they set up to now build their own wall of encirclement around the Punic Force plagued with disease and now facing the prospect of starvation helico's forces were in a terrible position as winner began to set in they would need a miracle to survive luckily for him that Miracle appeared in the form of the carthaginian Navy in a dramatic Naval Ambush outside the city the Punic Fleet surprises Syracuse and Supply Convoy and sank or captured the entirety of its escort Force in doing so They seized a massive horde of grain now it was the carthaginian Army whose Depots overflowed with food while those of acrogas began to dwindle the balance of power now shifted back in himoko's favor Theodore sicilis claims that himacho recognized The Leverage he had over his Foe and gave them an out citizens would now be given a window to leave through designated corridors immediately forty thousand people fled the city this had the desired effect of completely liquidating the defenses of a krakas which was left a husk of its former self the following day under a crisp and cloudy December Sky a crocus fell to the assault of the carthaginian army throughout the entire winter the carthaginian Army camped within the city looting everything they could get their hands on the wealth of this great city was well renowned and the spoils must have been unimaginable finally in 405 BC with the bones of a kragas pick clean a fattened carthaginian army lumbered off to rejoin their Fleet they left behind the smoldering ruins of a city once hailed as the jewel of Sicily it would never again regain its former glory himulko now proceeded to make a Victory lap around Sicily along the way he took a host of Sicilian cities tearing through the defenses of Gala when it resisted second camarina and even defeating a Syracuse and army sent against them only the gods seemed capable of stopping the carthaginians with another plague it was at this point that himoko finally came to the peace table owing to his successes the terms were incredibly favorable Carthage would remain in control of its recent conquests with Salinas thurmi acrogas Gila and kamarina all bowing down as tributary vassals Sicily had a new master [Music] in the year 405 BC the island of Sicily was a smoking ruin the recent offensive by Carthage had created a situation in which the Punic power was now poised to take control of all of Sicily only one thing stood in their way Syracuse [Music] the mighty Greek city-state which had long resisted their influence now seemed ready to fall as well but in this hour of need would rise the hero and Tyrant dionysius whose bold new leadership would change the course of the war foreign Darkest Hour it would be saved by an unlikely hero the man's name was Dionysus he was a lowly public official who had spent the last few years as a clerk lost in the bureaucracy of his home City and yet the fates decreed a very different thread for his life when the Second Punic Sicilian war broke out in 410 BC Dionysus was among those to answer the call to Arms with great ambition and a knack for organization he quickly worked his way through the ranks details are sparse but it seems that around 409 BC he had attained significant stature within the army with a string of achievements to his name this is evidenced by the fact that when Carthage had launched its assault upon Accra Gus in 406 BC Dionysus was tapped to join the Army Command Staff though Carthage was ultimately Victorious the syracusans continued to fight a dogged defense of their eroding territory eventually the plague-stricken Invaders decided that they had made enough gains and settled a new piece before withdrawing their main force from the island this was a very delicate time on Sicily as all knew that Carthage would eventually return to finish the job if given the opportunity in Syracuse some considered reconciliation While others argued for resistance it was precisely these cracks in the political scene which created an opportunity for dionysius the plot he concocted was bold and nefarious it began by seemingly faking an assassination attempt on his own life here the perpetrator was caught just in time allowing dionysius to draw public sympathy and attention with this supposed threat as an excuse he was given permission to hire 600 mercenaries for personal protection within the city limits shortly thereafter though he expanded the armed group to one thousand Staffing it with many loyal followers at this point dionysius now made his moves openly cutting through the Democratic red tape which had Shackled his Ambitions he now deployed his mercenary forces across Syracuse to act as a police force and to seize control Democratic opposition was silenced and all rebellion was crushed by 405 BC dionysius was now the Tyrant of Syracuse in theory his largest threat would have been the other Greek communities which might seek to depose him for instance Sparta had a history of intervening abroad to topple tyrannical regimes however in this case they actually sent an emissary to strike a deal of mutual support Sparta which had previously sided with Syracuse against the Athenians hoped that the favor might be returned in exchange they seem to have given dionysius the privilege of conscripting mercenaries from the lands under Spartan Authority thus with his Reign protected at home and on the Eastern flank the Tyrant now prepared to turn west against Carthage but this would be no easy task in the years that followed he would further consolidate power and begin an intense period of militarization which would turn Syracuse into an impregnable Fortress the Tyrant now made Ready for War Dionysus would eventually field an army of 80 000 soldiers and a fleet of 200 warships this enormous force would require mountains of supplies to equip and maintain thus it was that one of his most important reforms was the introduction of standardized gear whereas mercenaries and citizen soldiers had previously been responsible for this kid Syracuse now sought to create one of the greatest State armories of its era to this end we're told that Smiths from across Sicily Italy Greece and Beyond were commissioned to produce at least 140 000 sets of weapons and armor in addition the engineers and Carpenters of Syracuse were busy retrofitting the fleet and constructing the new hulking class of quinquirim Warships which were about 20 percent longer than the standard tririm and carried almost double the number of rowers and Marines in addition all manner of artillery pieces and Siege equipment were assembled yet even during this period of preparation dionysius did not sit idle within the walls of his City Syracuse and forces mounted escalating raids Against The Villages and cities of Sicily to probe carthage's hold on this territory and to begin exerting pressure on the various communities to reconsider their allegiance by 398 BC seven years after taking power Dionysus was finally ready to make his move the armies of Syracuse were marshaled and an ultimatum was thrown down Carthage must abandon its hegemony or prepare for war partly waiting for the inevitable response the Tyrant now launched his invasion the objective appears to have been to take the Punic stronghold of Matia on the far side of the island before a proper defense could be mounted therefore the Syracuse and forces made a rapid Advance along the southern coast leaving a trail of Destruction in their path carthaginians and collaborators were murdered out of hand with their property being looted to fill the coffers of the army sensing that the Winds of Change were blowing opportunistic Sicilians joined the army as it marched by the time Dionysus reached the gates of Matia in the summer of 398 BC his army numbered at least 80 000 Infantry the city of matya was one of the greatest carthaginian strongholds in Sicily founded shortly after the city of Carthage around 800 BC it was located atop an island inside a natural Harbor as such it proved a highly defensible and well-connected site which quickly led to matia's rise as a great Commercial and Military Center by the time the syracusans arrived it was a formidable city with a full wall over 20 towers and several fortified gate houses adding to its protection the mole the only way to access the city on foot had been destroyed by the citizens yet this would not deter Dionysus he now anchored his entire fleet in the bay to cut off the City by sea whilst tasking his army with the job of rebuilding the mole to prepare for a direct assault if Matia refused to surrender some inside may have considered this option yet the bloody Advance waged by the syracuseans thus far led many to believe that this path would lead to either death or enslavement thus as The Noose tightened around Matia they sent envoys to Carthage seeking desperate Aid the Phoenicians meanwhile were unprepared for the lightning speed with which dionysius had launched his campaign the last carthaginian offensive had taken years of preparation and yet realizing the fall of Matia and in turn Punic Sicily could undo centuries of progress they now scrambled to summon a response himuliko brother of the Hannibal who had led the Second Punic Sicilian war was appointed command while a fleet of 100 try Reams and tens of thousands of troops were marshaled these Now set off immediately for matya himiliko's timing was fortuitous the carthagidians managed to catch the forces of dionysius in the bay trapping his larger Navy and its narrow confines to make matters worse the huge transport Fleet to the South laid dangerously exposed its Defenders were overwhelmed and the nearly 500 ships were either captured or set a fire in theory the remaining Syracuse and ships still outnumbered those of himoko and featured many of the new powerful conqueriums however the geography of the bay meant that these could not bring their numbers to Bear against the carthaginians for a Breakout himoko was thus assured that by holding the mouth of the harbor he could either win in battle or starve them out and yet Dionysus was not so easily bested using Slingers archers and his new war machine the Catapult the carthaginians were kept at arm's length from his Fleet this allowed him to now begin hauling his ships over the low flat spit of land to his North soon many Greek warships had been Portage across the strait and could circle around the rear of the carthaginians in this way would their roles be reversed with the risk of encirclement and Annihilation himulko was thus forced to retreat back to Carthage as they sailed off the citizens of matya knew that their last hope of rescue had vanished but this realization also brought with it a great fighting Zeal though alone they now prepared for a final stand dionysius Rose to the challenge by redoubling his efforts to construct the land bridge to the city while covering his operations with the fleet Siege engines and Towers finally these reached the wall and broke through a section What followed was Bloody Urban Warfare here is how deodorusicalis describes the scene quote the Martians as they took account of the magnitude of the Peril and with their wives and children Before Their Eyes fought the more fiercely out of fear for their fate there were some whose parents stood by and treating them not to let them be surrendered to the Lawless will of Victors who were thus wrought to a pitch where they set no value on life others as they heard the laments of their wives and helpless children sought to die like men rather than to see their children led to captivity flight of course from the city was impossible since it was entirely surrounded by the Sea which was controlled by the enemy the battle grew Fierce and abundant reinforcements climbed the ladders until at last the Sicilian Greeks wore down their opponents by weight of numbers straight away dionysius's entire Army burst into the city coming also by the mold and now every spot was a scene of Mass Slaughter for the Sicilian Greeks eager to return cruelty for cruelty slew everyone they encountered sparing without distinction not a child not a woman not an elder Dionysus wishing to sell the inhabitants into slavery for the money he could gather at first attempted to restrain the soldiers from murdering the captives but when no one paid any attention to him and he saw the fury of the Sicilian Greeks was not to be controlled he stationed Heralds to cry aloud and tell the Martians to take refuge in the temples which were revered by the Greeks the massacre which unfolded was absolute in the aftermath as the campaign season Drew to a close the Syracuse and army finished picking the bones of Matia clean before returning home to Syracuse a small Garrison Force remained to lay claim to the ashes what Dionysus threw plans for the next year's ambitious campaigning but he was not the only one with a taste for blood the carthaginians now fully understood the magnitude of the threat at hand and also spent the winter months mustering a massive Force when Dionysus emerged from Syracuse in 397 BC he was countered by himoko who deployed 400 trirames and 50 000 soldiers on the western end of the island neither side was immediately prepared for a pitched fight and instead sought to better position themselves this meant re-establishing carthage's Authority next he said about lifting the siege of suggested and establishing Punic garrisons to re-secure Western Sicily to press matters further himoko now made an assault on the Eastern side of the island sweeping around the northern coast he collected tribute from lapara and eventually made a landing at Cape palorum this faint Drew out the Greek army from messine at which point a Detachment of the carthaginian fleet filled with pick rowers and Marines quickly sailed around their rear to seize and Sack the city soon after the main two fleets would Clash at Sea in 397 BC at the Battle of katana here Pimlico fielded some 200 tririms and 300 transports retrofitted with Rams while dionysius deployed a mix of 180 tririmes and the new conqueriums according to theodorus cyculus the naval battle began in the Greek's favor when their Admiral liptonese led a sudden Sally of an Elite Force however he was ultimately driven to flight leaving the rest of his Fleet leaderless and disorganized in the face of the ensuing carthaginian counter-attack though the Greek quinquirimes were larger and far better man than the Punic trirems the smaller ships were able to lock them down with grapples and shoot swarm or Ram them into Oblivion when the battle was finished and the Syracuse and Fleet crushed the carthaginians showed no mercy so sweeping along the coast to kill any Greeks attempting to swim back to shore accordingly the coasts of Sicily became choked with the corpses and broken Timbers of the defeated Navy this was a catastrophic defeat for Dionysus now in the back foot he was forced to retreat back within the walls of Syracuse this was a prudent move after all Syracuse was among the largest and most fortified cities in the Greek world it had withstood the might of the Athenian Expedition and since then had only further been fortified by the ambitious building programs of dionysius and yet himacho was undaunted he first conducted military and diplomatic operations around Eastern Sicily to strip Syracuse of its supporters then he set up his army to choke off its land approaches whilst deploying the fleet to blockade the harbor a camp was then established to the west of the city and battle was offered when the syracuseans refused to emerge this greatly increased the morale of the attackers for the next 30 days they were left to ravage the countryside with impunity Syracuse would have begun to starve out were it not for their ability to maintain an intermittent supply line from their Eastern docks thus the order months were spent in an uneasy stalemate with the arrival of spring kimathong of this inactivity soon the carthaginians made probing attacks upon the city and are said to have even penetrated one of its outer districts yet Syracuse too was able to mount its own Sally's raids and ambushes the tide began to shift when the Greeks received crucial food and Military convoys and were able to win a series of skirmishes at sea but the true Turning Point came with the arrival of the plague in a similar manner to the Athenians before them the carthaginian forces were crippled by This calamity now deionysius was able to finally make his move on a moonless night forces were sent to circle out around the Punic camp and attack it from the rear at first light at this precise moment the Greek Fleet would Sail Out and Mass to assault the carthaginian naval positions in the front this coordinated attack cut himacho's forces by surprise chaos reigned in the camp as units overwhelmed the Punic forts on the Hills while Cavalry and tririms assailed the anchored Fleet along the shore dionysius himself was said to have ridden Into The Fray and helped light the fires which began to spread to the embattled camp and yet himoko's Force stood resolute they managed to recover from the initial shock maintaining the line and surviving until Nightfall the Army may have lived but the siege of Syracuse was over from this Victory Dionysus was in a position to destroy the carthaginian's outright and yet in the dead of night he agreed to meet secretly with himacho to discuss terms of peace this perplexing move is a fascinating example of the Machiavellian mind of the Syracuse and tyrant it seems that he saw the carthaginian threat as a useful tool in domestic politics with the threat effectively neutralized but not outright removed dionysius could continue to use it as leverage against his Rivals and any who might challenge his rule and so with the addition of receiving a massive bribe of 300 silver talents he agreed to allow himoko to sell out with 40 ships bearing only the carthaginian citizens when their departure was reported by the Greek centuries dionysius made a show of pursuing them but delayed just enough to allow them to escape he then led the Army to the Punic Camp to deal with all who were not protected by the terms of the deal having been abandoned many of the Greek and Sicilian allies melted into the Hills the remaining forces were surrounded apparently the fierce Iberian mercenary stood ready to fight to the death but were merely hired by Dionysus using the money from their former Commander the remainder of the Punic Army which included substantial numbers of libyans was enslaved upon himoko's return to Carthage this shameful event caused an uproar Not only was the Army defeated abroad threatening the Strategic control of Sicily but the abandonment of the allies and mercenaries now threatened the stability of the Homeland itself indeed the Libyan soon broke out into revolt the rebels grew in such numbers that 70 000 of them were said to have besieged the city of Carthage to make matters worse a plague was also reported to have swept across Africa the displeasure of the carthaginian Gods was apparent to all himalko the man held responsible for this chain of disasters is likely to have been castigated by the court of 104. our records indicate that while he was not given the traditional punishment of execution by crucifixion there would be no path for Redemption it was said that the shame General accepted full responsibility for the disaster and now took up the Robes of a slave left a shamble to all the temples of the city begging for forgiveness in a final Act himulko then bricked himself into his own home refusing all aid until he starved to death how the mighty of Carthage had fallen meanwhile dionysius and Sicily was at the height of his power the Tyrant now prepared to prosper at his enemy's expense over the course of three bloody wars Carthage had tightened its grip on the island of Sicily and yet on the precipice of its success dionysius of Syracuse had rallied his City to not only hold them at Bay but to throw them back while the pubic power was rocked by plague and civil unrest the Tyrant would now take his chance to fulfill his life's work all of Sicily and Beyond would be his even if he had to do it himself with Carthage out of the picture dionysus's first move was to re-secure local control this was done by rebuilding his forces and bullying the communities of Sicily back onto his side in these matters his greatest opposition came from the sickle tribes and ionian Greeks of the Northeast which had recently suffered at the tyrant's hands the city of regime in particular posed a threat and that it had a resident might with the destruction of masana which gave it control of the important Straits between Sicily and Italy to make matters worse when dionysius had attempted to arrange an alliance by seeking one of their Noble daughters in marriage the people of regime merely offered him The Executioner's daughter the following years thus became a great game of political and Military Maneuvers over control of Eastern Sicily part of this involved the founding of various colonies and the relocation of wartime refugees to secure a strategic control of key regions this was done by both sides with the peoples of the land serving as Pawns in their schemes knew that winning this contest would take time and that while engaged it would leave him susceptible to a two-front war should Carthage attack from the West he therefore seems to have secured support from the Central sakani and sickle tribes who might act as a buffer as a part of this political realignment the cities of agrarium Heritage and asaurus pledged their loyalty while the cities of Solas Anna and kefladio were supposedly betrayed to the Tyrant and sect now Dionysus could focus his efforts on the east thus in 394 BC he raised a large army which likely boasted around 20 000 infantry and several thousand Cavalry his main target was the city of toramanian it was actually a Hilltop stronghold which had been built up by the carthagants and filled with sickles just three years prior with the express purpose of serving as a bulwark against Syracuse an expansion this Fortress could not be allowed to stand the Greek army approached from the south camping in the ruins of noxus before continuing their Advance against toramanian such a move would not have gone unnoticed after all the city lay perched atop the 200 meter tall Mount Taurus and held a commanding view of the region in addition it was surrounded by Cliffs Ravines and high walls which made a direct assault impossible without significant investment nonetheless Dionysus was determined to take it operations apparently began quite late in the year as the Greeks established their encircling positions before settling down in the lowland region of noxus to wait out the Defenders but the sickles were well prepared and managed to hold on until the winter months approached normally this was a time when armies powered down and yet for dionysius this idle time was an opportunity to scheme whilst the snow fell heavily upon Mount Taurus it was reported that the guards of terminium had grown lacks in their watch this was the precise moment dionysius had been waiting for upon a moonless stormy night he summoned a pick force of 600 Mercenaries together they navigated The Ravines of the mountains before coming to the base of the enemy's Acropolis here they made sure to secure any loose belongings and cover any flashing metal before beginning the ascent in the cold wet Darkness they climbed the jagged Cliffs and Howling winds likely took their toll on the men but dionysius pressed on eventually the infiltrators had reached the top now 600 men swarmed over the battlements silencing the centuries and slaying any garrisons They Came Upon by the light of dawn it appeared that dionysus's bold gamble had paid off however alarms were soon raised across the city as the Defenders were aroused from their beds soon these had gathered enough of their wits and their numbers to launch a counter-attack dionysius and his Commandos may have been able to hold their advance in check initially but with exhaustion setting in and no source of reinforcements it was only a matter of time before a breach was formed by a persistent assault eventually this came and it washed over the syracuseans like a great tide wiping out vastuas of the 600 mercenaries in the blink of an eye these quickly sought the only Escape available to them the very Cliffs that they had scaled that night we're told that as men tumbled off The Ravines many lost their armor and their lives dionysius was one of the few to make it out alive rather than face further humiliation the Tyrant now lifted The Siege and withdrew his army to lick his wounds back home while dionysius may have averted any immediate disaster with his withdrawal the event did have wider strategic consequences for instance the Greek cities of acrogas and masana depose their Syracuse and supporting leaders and garrisons While others began to reassess their allegiances this wavering posed an opportunity for Carthage to exploit after several years of crippling distractions the African power had finally emerged from the chaos thanks to the general ship of Mago the victor of the battle of katana he had helped defeat the Libyan Uprising and next LED forces to Sicily at first Carthage had been wary of directly engaging with dionysius and instead spent its time Shoring up support on the western side of the island and playing the part of the benevolent overlord which stood in contrast to the Tyrant of Syracuse yet following dionysus's stumble at toramanium Margot now pounced at the opportunity for direct confrontation in 393 BC the Punic General launched an expedition across the northern side of the island the size of the force goes unreported but it was apparently large enough to raid masana upon turning back they would be intercepted by a pursuing Dionysus the two Clash at the Battle of abacanum with Mago being defeated and forced to seek shelter in the nearby City yet both sides would soon part ways and what appears to have been more of a strategic joust than an all-out War the next year Mago would receive reinforcements from Carthage and mustered a large force that may have boasted as many as 40 to 50 000 men the actions of the fleet are not mentioned and so it is assumed that this year's campaign sawmago lead his forces across the interior of Sicily his objective appears to have been to chip away at the sickle communities which were siding with Syracuse such a challenge could not go unanswered Dionysus mustered his own Army and advanced to meet them however we are told that his army was Far smaller as a result he relied on asymmetrical tactics to stall mago's Advance mountain passes and High Ground positions were held stubbornly by the Greeks while Raiders were sent incessantly to harass the Punic supply lines and yet Carthage remained undeterred and continued its slow advance it was only through a great deal of negotiating and favorable concessions that dionysius managed to secure the military support of the powerful city of agrium together the Greeks were able to prevent Carthage from steamrolling through the territory and yet they were still outnumbered Dionysus chose to continue his delay tactics in the hopes that Carthage might be too worn down to fight or that plague might once again prove his savior however as the weeks rolled by neither materialized instead it was the Syracuse and forces which began to lose morale and desert the situation got so bad the Dionysus reportedly freed and armed slaves to refill his ranks thankfully this was not something that was noticed by Carthage the Invaders had their hands full with other problems thus as the stalemate dragged on it seems that both Mago and Dionysus found a de-escalation to their Mutual advantage therefore the two leaders came to the peace table willingly the treaty which was hammered out essentially formalized either side's control of east and west Sicily for dionysius the Smith finally formalizing a decade's worth of territorial expansion whilst giving him free reign to play kingmaker among the sickle communities of the East Carthage meanwhile gained clear dominion over the Phoenician and al-man communities of the West which would allow them to focus on their lucrative mercatile Endeavors the deal would stand for nearly a decade yet this did not bring peace to Sicily Dionysus was merely freed to continue his Wars with his other Rivals this meant first securing control over Eastern Sicily by rooting out the last vestiges of Punic influence many cities were brought to heal and even toromanium was taken in a bloodless feat of diplomacy next he said about Reviving his Feud with regim this would finally secure his control of The Straits between Sicily and Italy and opened the door to wider opportunities for expansion across Magna Gracia in these campaigns the city of regime was put to Siege on three separate occasions this would climax in the year 387 BC it was a brutal affair here is how deodoraciculus describes dionysus's callous approach to Warfare quote it was about the 11th month of dionysus's Siege of regime and since he had cut off relief from every direction the inhabitants of the city were faced by a terrible dearth of the necessities of life so reduce were they by lack of food then at first they ate their horses and other beasts of Burden then fed upon boiled skins and leather and finally they would come out from the city and eat the grass near the walls like so many cattle when dionysius learned what was taking place far from showing Mercy to those who were suffering Beyond man's Endurance on the contrary he brought in cattle to clear the place of the green stuff with the result that it was completely stripped consequently the regians overcome by their excessive hardships surrender their City to the Tyrant giving him complete power over their lives within the city dionysius found heaps of dead who had perish from lack of food and the living two whom he captured were like dead men and weakened in body he got together more than 6 000 captives and the multitudes he sent off to Syracuse with orders that those who could pay as Ransom Amino of silver should be freed but to sell as slaves those who were unable to raise that sum in the ensuing campaigns Dionysus would make war against other cities of Magna Gracia along with the ukrainians he devastated the territories of thuri and Croton his Fleet even raided as far as the Etruscan Coast pillaging a town just 50 kilometers from Rome on the heels of these advances dionysius planted additional colonies along the Adriatic Coast as far away as Illyria in a bid to control trade and Power in the region but his Ambitions did not stop there during the Corinthian war dionysius backsparted with mercenaries and ships and similarly sent troops to fight in Emperors to return King alcatas to the throne all of these moves were clear signs of Syracuse's Growing Power in the geopolitics of the era perhaps because of these successes Dionysus finally felt prepared to once again challenge Carthage thus in 383 BC at the age of 49 he mobilized for war and renewed open hostilities by allying with cities which had risen in revolt against Carthage technically this chapter of History would be known as the fourth Punic Sicilian War however its scope extended beyond the confines of Prior conflicts details are lacking but it seems that Carthage had Allied itself with a league of Italian cities and even landed troops to assist them with the campaign along the Eastern theater of Magna Gracia meanwhile the Western theater of Sicily proper saw large carthaginian and Syracuse and forces jockey with one another as it happened before Affairs on the island quickly stagnated into a campaign of skirmishing and maneuvering around the various communities in this two-front war neither side was prepared to risk it all in a pitch battle until they felt they had the upper hand these conditions would not materialize until several years later when the two sides clashed at the Battle of Kabbalah here the forces of Syracuse managed to drive the carthaginians from the field the Punic Army rallied upon a hill but suffered heavy losses in the days which followed when they were unable to find a sufficient source of water deodorus claims that ten thousand of their soldiers would perish including the Commanding General while five thousand men were taken captive from this dominant position Dionysus now laid down his terms for a ceasefire Carthage must not only pay for the war damages but must also withdraw entirely from the island of Sicily such terms were outrageously humiliating Carthage was Furious but facing other troubles abroad asked for a temporary ceasefire to consider the conditions yet this was merely a play for time in the brief interlude which followed Punic forces would be heavily drilled and disciplined when they marched out again in 376 BC under the command of hiblical Mago they were a significantly more professional Force the Dionysus and his overly confident Force Rose to meet them at the Battle of cronium here tens of thousands of men faced off across a wide plane as the two armies clashed it proved to be an incredibly tough fight dionysius and his Elite forces on the wing were slowly getting ground against their foes however on the opposite side himeliko managed to more rapidly defeat the forces of leptinis and began to turn the flank soon Panic spread across the Syracuse and army this now devolved into a complete route with the carthaginians surging forward shouting to one another to give No Quarter we're told that 14 000 syracusians were slaughtered in this butcher's work now it was dionysius who was at the mercy of his foe thankfully Carthage had other fires to put out and settled on relatively reasonable terms these re-established the borders which had existed prior to the war with the added terms that Carthage would now receive the cities of Salinas and acrogas in addition to 1 000 talents sucking in his pride dionysius agreed to the deal after all he was always one to think 10 steps ahead the piece would merely be another opportunity for him to plan yet further campaigns for eight years the Tyrant of Syracuse bid his time in this period some of his attentions were turned towards the Arts as he brought poets playwrights and philosophers to court yet there would be no replacement for his hunger for war thus in 368 BC dionysius once again sallied out from his Fortress of Syracuse to make war upon Carthage with a mighty Army of around 40 000 men and 120 warships these rapidly Advanced upon the city of Erics it was taken by surprise securing a prominent base for the Greek operations deep within Punic territory dionysus's next move was to besiege the city of little bam it had been founded 30 years ago following the Greek destruction of matya and now stood as the greatest Center of carthaginian power on the island this Bastion would not be allowed to fall the Punic Garrison held firm for the remainder of the Year forcing Dionysus to return to nearby Eric's for his winter quarters however a fleet of 200 carthaginian chips was already on the move avoiding detection it now launched its own surprise attack upon Eric's here they fell upon the mass Greek Fleet at anchor sinking or capturing vast numbers of ships this would be a crippling blow without Naval superiority the Syracuse and land Army stood no chance of taking the offense and would now be pushed back to protect its rear from enemy raids and Landings the last grand campaign of Dionysus had collapsed in spectacular fashion after the Wiley negotiator though he nonetheless managed to sign an Armistice which prevented any further erosion of his position there would always be a next time as a bit of consolation dionysius would return home to the news of one great Victory apparently his play The Ransom of Hector had won a prestigious competition at the Linnea Festival of Athens to celebrate and forget the Sorrows of the year he would reportedly throw a massive party drinking himself into Oblivion According to some sources Dionysus would literally drown in alcohol others claim that it would be a conspiracy of his kin which finally brought low the Tyrant of Syracuse that night whatever the case Dionysus would be dead at the age of 65. he left behind a legacy that would be unmatched by any of his predecessors or forebears for the 38 years of his Reign dionysius had fought Toto with one of the mightiest powers of the Western Mediterranean whilst building up the position of Syracuse to become one of the greatest in the entire Greek world the model of his rule the methods of his War making and the Innovations in Siege and Naval technology would pave the way for the greatest conquerors who came after him including Alexander the Great such shoes would be difficult to fill even for the most capable of heirs unfortunately for Syracuse his son dionysius II fell far below the mark foregoing the great Affairs of State he turned inward with no care for maintaining the hard-fought works of his father Plutarch offers the following insight into his actions quote for it is said that the young king once kept up a drinking bout for 90 consecutive days from its beginning and that during this time the court gave no access or admission to Men of matters of consequence but drunkenness and raillery and music and dancing and buffoonery held full sway and so it was with great pleasure that Carthage watched as the formidable House of Syracuse began to collapse the final climax of the Punic Sicilian Wars loomed on the horizon but these would be amongst its bloodiest small Greek force of ten thousand men crests a hill to overlook a plane shrouded in fog as The Mists part it reveals a vast carthaginian Army led by none other than the sacred band but rather than Retreat their Commander orders a charge this man was timolian and he was about to make history at the Battle of cremesis [Music] during his 38-year Reign Dionysus of Syracuse had dictated the geopolitical agenda of Sicily with his ambitious plans his death therefore created a power vacuum which the factions of the island were Keen to exploit for a time his son dionysius II was able to maintain some semblance of control thanks to the guiding influence of his uncle Dion but when the steward to the throne invited Plato to outperform the government dionysius ultimately joined his Rivals and banished his uncle What followed would be a struggle of political and armed conflict between the two men which lasted nearly a decade all of this bickering did little to improve the status of Syracuse as many of its former subjects broke away and came under the control of their own Regional tyrants during this time many syracusians were fed up with The Strife which was tearing apart their City a great number of them therefore joined haikeris the Syracuse inborn Tyrant of leontini in his bid to oust dionysius others meanwhile appealed to their mother city of Corinth for help however its leaders were wary of lending Aid considering the seemingly hopeless task of establishing a stable government in tyrannical fractious insecure and turbulent Syracuse and yet one nobleman timolian would accept this Mission together with around 1 000 mercenaries aboard seven ships he set sail for Sicily and 344 BC he evaded efforts to block his arrival and landed near toramenium where he was met by local supporters this Force now Advanced upon nearby adronum when he get us moved to intercept them with five thousand men the unnumbered Corinthian force in turn surprised and defeated them in an evening attack this unexpected reversal caused other Greeks of Sicily to now join timolian and even prompted Corinth to send reinforcements the carthaginians meanwhile grew armed at this escalating situation historians report that as a result they deploy to flee an army to the island and in the command of Mago which boasted around 150 ships and 50 000 men supposedly they had already been in secret negotiations with heikaris to support him indirectly now however an increasingly desperate haiketus called for direct intervention theodorus and Plutarch offer slightly differing accounts of what happened next apparently the carthagens established a blockade around Eastern Sicily to deny Corinthian reinforcements and to choke out the remaining forces of Dionysus still besiege within the island Fortress of Syracuse as a counter dionysius offered his Citadel to the Corinthians on conditioned that he be granted a comfortable Exile in Greece when this was accepted timolian slipped to Garrison to take charge of the ortigia whilst leading his main Army to take the outskirts of the city in response the carthaginians reportedly moved in their own troops to occupy key areas of Syracuse if this story is to be believed then its districts were now being divided up between three to four separate factions it's hard to imagine a more chaotic situation we're told that for a time hakeris and Mago LED joint efforts against their Rivals but failed to dislodge them fear and betrayal and perhaps believing the entire situation was Fubar Mago apparently decided to withdraw his forces entirely such a move was not unreasonable after all his predecessor himulko had become trapped in a similar situation whilst besieging Syracuse and only barely escaped with his life and a fraction of his army yet while this withdrawal saved Carthage it effectively handed control of Syracuse to timolian who now swept in with his army his first move was to actually restore the democratic government of Syracuse symbolically destroying the Tyrant Citadel and replacing it with the court of justice Plutarch mentions that he next sought to bring fresh waves of immigrants from across the Greek rule to replenish the population which had been ravaged by disease and War thus feeling rejuvenated and having settled Affairs in the city timolian then sought to depose the other local tyrants including haikettis who had managed to slip away to his city of leontini he apparently grew so confident that his mercenaries were given free reign to begin raiding Punic territories yet these efforts would not last much longer than a year when news came of Affairs in Africa Plutarch reports that the carthagians had been so furious with mago's withdrawal that they impaled his body and were preparing for a new Invasion to put down the Plucky Corinthian upstart and 339 BC they descended upon Sicily here is how Plutarch Paints the picture quote the carthaginians put in at little bam with an army of 70 000 men 200 trirems and a thousand transports carrying engines of War four horse chariots grain in abundance and other requisite equipment their purpose was not to carry on the war by piecemeal anymore but at one time to drive the invading Greeks out of all Sicily while numbers here are difficult to accept at face value it was certainly a mighty Force its Grandeur is reinforced by the idea that among them marched the carthaginian sacred band an elite body of Citizen soldiers we've covered in another episode if you want to learn more timolian by contrast led a comparatively tiny Army of levees and mercenaries estimates of its size vary but he probably had around 10 000 men while exact troop counts claimed by ancient authors are dubious the picture that they paint is clear timolian was horribly outnumbered and yet despite this he still Rose to challenge them for eight days his army marched across the island towards the concentrating Punic Force along the way we are told that his army was so terrified that many of them deserted and yet emollient pressed on it was early summer when timolian reached the cremesis river the plane ahead was covered in thick Mists as the Greeks crested a hill to observe the surroundings their Vision was veiled but they could hear the noise of a vast host on the move suddenly this fog parted and the truth of what lay ahead was revealed here is how Plutarch puts it quote the cremesis came into view and the enemy were seen Crossing it in their van four horse chariots formidably arrayed for battle and Behind These ten thousand minute arms with white Shields these the syracusans conjectured to be the carthaginians from the Splendor of their armor and the slowness and good order of their March after these the other nations streamed on and were making the Crossing in tumultuous confusion then timolian ordered demeritus to take the horsemen and fall upon the carthagians and throw their ranks into confusion before their array was yet formed then he himself descending into the plane assigned the wings to the other Sicilian Greeks uniting a few of his mercenaries with each wing while he took the syracuses and the best fighters among his mercenaries under his own command in the center then he waited a little while watching what his Horsemen would do and when he saw that they were unable to come to Close Quarters with the carthaginians on account of the Chariots which coursed up and down in front of their lines but were forced to wheel about continually that their ranks might not be broken and to make their charges in quick succession after facing about again he took up his shield and shouted to his infantrymen to follow and be of good courage and his voice seemed stronger than usual and more than human whether it was from emotion that he made it so loud in view of the struggle and the enthusiasm which it inspired or whether as most felt at the time some deity joined in his utterance and with that the Greek Vanguard locked Shields and fell upon the carthaginians with the sound of trumpets while the Cavalry struck them from the flanks the attack took the carthaginian Army completely off guard in addition to the shock of the surprise their bodies were robbed of energy and Mobility by The Frigid Waters to make matters worse a storm of freezing rain joined the assault against their front blinding the Army as it struggled to mount a defense the result was a Slaughter here is how Plutarch Heralds their Doom quote finally the Storm still assailing them and the Greeks having overthrown their first rank of 400 men the main body was put to flight many were overtaken in the plane and cut to pieces and many the river dashed upon and carried away to destruction as they encountered those who were still trying to cross but most of them the light armed Greeks ran upon and dispatched as they were making for the Hills though the sacred band fought valiantly and is said to have stood to the last man they could not Salvage the situation as the Army around them disintegrated all told some 10 000 carthagians were killed and another 15 000 captured it was a loss of monumental proportions under normal circumstances Carthage could stomach this level of attrition when it came to Allied soldiers but here the loss of some 2500 citizen lives was said to be so shocking to Carthage that they resolved to never use citizens again in battle in the aftermath the Greeks apparently took so many spoils that it took them several days to erect a victory trophy on the site their bloated Army then returned to Syracuse to gather forces and make renewed War upon the tyrants of the East Carthage meanwhile was still reeling from the disaster but managed to dispatch an admiral by the name of gisco to render them Aid his troops helped score a series of minor victories against emollient however the Corinthian would soon manage to defeat hecatus in the battle of the demurus river and memerkus in the battle of the Ebola River unfortunately neither of these are recorded in high detail what little we do know mentions how the carthaginians again suffered heavy casualties in the battles these setbacks prompted them to cut their losses in 339 BC a peace treaty was signed that would conclude this six pudic Sicilian War the term specified that Carthage was to remain west of the houses River to cut all alliances to the East and to restore the family and property to anyone who wished to move to Syracuse it seemed now that the ghost of dionysius must have smiled upon this turn of Fates and yet the Tyrant would be next to suffer from timolian success to start the Corinthian was hailed as a brave and Brilliant military leader who had managed to win an incredible victory in the face of overwhelming odds overshadowing the successes of dionysius what's more though is that he did not use this power to rule as a despot instead he remained true to his word committing himself fully to the democratization of Syracuse by drafting a new Constitution which would last for many generations under his supervision the Greeks of Sicily now enjoyed a well-earned period of renewed peace and prosperity here is how Plutarch writes of these matters quote in this manner then did timolian extirpate the tyrannies and put a stop to their Wars he found the whole island reduced to a Savage state by its troubles and hated by its inhabitants but he made it so civilized and so desirable in the eyes of all men that others came by seated dwell in the places from which their own citizens used to run away before to these settlers timolia not only afforded safety and calm after so long A Storm of War but also supplied their further needs and zealously assisted them so that he was revered by them as a founder all the other inhabitants also cherished like feelings towards him and no conclusion of war no institution of laws no settlement of Victory no arrangement of civil polity seems satisfactory unless he gave the finishing touches to it like a master builder adding to a work that is drawing to completion some Grace which pleases Gods and Men we're told that rather than return to Greece to pursue greater honors timolian instead remained in Sicily here he was lavished with Praise by the syracusans but remained of humble character claiming that the gods and Fortune were to thank for his successes even when he began to lose his vision the people still turn to him for guidance when important matters were being discussed a blind timolean would be led into the assembly to render his counsel and while he could no longer lead them in war the syracusans vowed to only employ Corinthian generals for such matters when he finally passed a grand funeral would be arranged several days were taken to prepare the event and to allow the vast numbers of mourners to attend when the day came thousands partook in the procession which bore his body to the pyre when it was lit Plutarch States quote Demetrius who had the loudest voice of any Herald of the time read from manuscript the following decree by the people of Syracuse to million son of timodemus from Corinth is here buried at a public cost of 200 Minas and is honored for all time with annual contests musical equestrian and Gymnastic because he overthrew the tyrants subdued The Barbarians repopulated the largest of the devastated cities and then restored their laws to the Greeks of Sicily furthermore they buried his ashes in the marketplace and afterwards when they had surrounded with porticos and built palestras in it they set it apart as a gymnasium for their young men and named it the timoleyantum and they themselves using the civil polity and the laws which he had ordained enjoyed along course of unbroken prosperity and happiness such praise was likely genuine to some degree and yet we must also understand that the favorable treatment of timolian by historians came in the context of other important Global events while this Corinthian General was championing the Greek cause in Sicily against the carthaginians back at home his fellow countrymen were struggling the very same year after timolian's victory at the river cremesis Philip II of Macedon would cement his own victory over the Greeks at the decisive battle of chironia Syracuse now stood as one of the last great symbols of Greek Independence those of the Mainland would be yoked to the aspirations of Philip and his son Alexander for a grand Eastern campaign thus for now their attention would be distracted and Sicily once again left isolated with timolian's passing this left them vulnerable a Greek army stands before the walls of Mighty Carthage for the first time in history but what is even more astonishing than the way in which they arrived here is what they would go on to do next this is the climax of the Punic Sicilian Wars timolian of Corinth had emerged as an unlikely hero to the Greeks of Sicily Against All Odds he put down the despots subdued the foreign enemy recolonize the greatest among the ruined cities and restored their laws their constitution and their democracy as Plutarch put it quote in less than eight years he had handed over to her inhabitants a Sicily purged of her Perpetual intestine miseries and complaints and yet with the death of timolian Kim an end to this brief interlude of peace without a strong guiding hand the island reverted to its chaotic ways soon timolian's democratic system in Syracuse became corrupted by factions and morphed into a despotic oligarchy in this environment many ambitious men would make a play for ultimate power one among them would be a man by the name of agathicles the son of a Potter from the city of Humira he was an unlikely candidate for this emerging Game of Thrones around the age of 18 he had moved to Syracuse to take up his father's profession but soon joined the army by the age of 28 the historian Justin claims that he had risen quite high in rank and came into significant wealth through marriage this then allowed him to start leveraging both to attain greater power in these efforts he was apparently banished not once but twice from the city for attempting to overthrow the reigning oligarchs ever the persistent man he would not so easily be defeated for several years agathic lays took up the cause of nearby morgantina leading her armies into battle against local Rivals such as leontini however in 317 BC at the age of 44 he now turned his sights against Syracuse at the head of a mercenary force agathically is now laid Siege to his former home in a further twist the syracuses called upon their foes the carthaginians for Aid helicar the current commander of Punic forces in Sicily responded by sending them a body of several thousand men as Justin put it quote thus at one in the same time Syracuse was both defended by an enemy with the love of a citizen and attacked by a citizen with the hatred of an enemy but the twist did not stop there apparently a gathicles at hamakar would now enter secret dealings whereby the carthaginians would allow the upstart to take Syracuse on condition that he repay them with favorable terms and assurances of peace when this was agreed to agathicles entered the city with his men it seems that to facilitate this move he played the part of a new timolian ready to cleanse Syracuse of its despotic rulers and restore democracy however here is what Justin describes happened next quote then as if intending to remodel the Constitution he ordered the people to be summoned to an assembly in the theater convoking the senate in the meantime in the gymnasium as though he designed to make some previous arrangements with them his measures thus being taken he sent his troops to surround the people and caused the Senate to be massacred and when he had finished the slaughter of them cut off the richest and boldest of the commoners through this reign of terror agathicles now enshrined himself as the Undisputed Tyrant of Syracuse his first move was to follow in the footsteps of many of his predecessors by raising a strong Army and Fleet these he now Unleashed upon Sicily subduing large parts of the island Carthage was incensed by these events and the fact that their General seemed to have been colluding with the Enemy to further his own ambitions thus the punix said it voted to take action against this Rogue Commander the gods however would act first Hamilton would die before the wrath of Carthage could be Unleashed upon him instead it would now be turned upon agathicles who had already begun raiding Punic allies in 311 BC Carthage raised a fleet of 130 trirems and several hundred Supply ships to carry a force of 14 000 soldiers including citizens libyans balearics and mixed mercenaries at their Helm was hamelkar's son of gisco yet while they set off with great Zeal the ocean tempered their passion with a storm here the brutal winds and waves claimed almost half of the fleet thankfully when they arrived in Sicily they would be reinforced by the carthaginians already on the island by local allies and by additional Mercenaries soon their forces swell to around 40 000 infantry and five thousand cavalry with little delay they began to advance hamelkar LED his forces towards the Syracuse and held city of Gala fearing the loss of this important Bastion agathically's move to counter them with an army of almost equal size the two sides soon found themselves encamped atop Hills to either side of the himera river from such a position the advantage would go to the defender of any engagement thus it was that for many days they stood at a stalemate to break the impasse either side now resorted to raids and ambushes on each other's supply lines at one point a band of Greeks attempting to wrestle Punic livestock were chased off by the Carthage however as these reached the river agathically set upon them with an ambush such an event was not too uncommon however this time the Tyrant decided to follow up on the Skirmish by suddenly mobilizing his entire Army for a full-scale assault with lightning speed the Greeks now swarmed over the river and were upon the Punic Camp before the carthaginians had a chance to form a battle line as the Palisades began to fall a fierce battle ensued all along the ditch and Rampart Plutarch notes that hamelikar reacted quickly quote he brought up his Slingers who came from the Balearic Islands and numbered at least a thousand by hurling a shower of great Stones they wounded many and even killed not a few who were attacking and they shattered the defensive armor of most of them in this way they drove the Greeks from the camp and defeated them but agathically has continued to attack at other points and indeed the camp was already being taken by a storm when unexpected reinforcements from Libya arrived by water for the carthaginians thus again gaining heart those from the camp fought against the Greeks in front and the reinforcements surrounded them on all sides since the Greeks were now receiving wounds from an unexpected quarter the battle quickly reversed itself and some of them fled into the humerus River others into the camp the withdrawal was for a distance of 40 States and since it was almost entirely over level country they were hotly pursued by the Barbarian Cavalry numbering not less than five thousand as a result the space between was filled with dead and the river itself contributed greatly to the destruction of the Greeks in the aftermath agathicles managed to escape with the remainder of his army and regroup in nearby Gala rather than attack this Fortress Hamilton set about stripping away the now undefended allies of Syracuse many now switch sides agathically is in turn withdrew to his home base his prospects for defeating the superior carthaginian Land and Sea forces in Sicily were bleak and yet it was this very desperation that would bring about a most diabolical plan first he would need to recover his strength and his supplies to this end we are told that he called the grain from the surrounding region borrowed heavily from the merchants withdrew dedications from the temples strip the women of their Jewels confiscated property carried out purges and undertook many Unholy acts to gain an abundance of wealth after this he freed many slaves and armed them while enrolling additional forces to build both a strong Garrison and offensive Army between these he'd made sure to split up family members such that they would not Revolt out of fear of what might happen to their relatives then 60 ships were summoned to port for a secret mission some believe their purpose was to break the Punic blockade or to raid the enemy's rear lines however when it came time to sail none of these proved accurate agathically shot his Fleet like an arrow out to the Open Sea the carthaginians initially believing this to be a challenge deployed for battle yet when they saw that the Greeks did not do likewise they gave Pursuit here is how Justin puts it quote after they had sailed for six days and the same number of nights just as day was breaking the fleet of carthaginians was unexpectedly seen not far away at this both fleets were filled with Zeal and vined with each other in rowing when Libya came into sight the men on board began to cheer and the Rivalry became very keen the ships of The Barbarians sailed faster since their Crews had undergone very long training but those of the Greeks had sufficient lead the distance was covered very quickly and when the ships Drew near the land they rushed side by side for the beach like men in a race indeed since they were within range the first of the carthaginian ships were sending missiles at the last of those of agathicles consequently when they had fought for a short time with bows and slings and The Barbarians had come to Close Quarters with a few of the Greek ships agathicles got the upper hand since he had his complement of soldiers at this the carthaginians withdrew and lay offshore a little Beyond beaucha but agathicles having disembarked his soldiers at the place called latimai and constructed a palisade from sea to Sea pulled his ships ashore the Tyrant had established his speech head to Signal his determination agathicles then burned his own ships there was no turning back sparing little time he now loosed his men upon the countryside ravaging farm and Fortress alike this threw the citizens of Carthage into Panic if the Greeks were here in Africa then that must mean that a disaster of unprecedented skill had befallen their forces in Sicily however such fears subsided when Messengers reported that Agatha glaze had merely run a blockade yet even with this assurance they still had to deal with the Enemy which had managed to reach their front door thus a pair of generals Hano and bomokar were appointed to lead a new Force raised from the citizenry of Carthage itself our sources claim it boasted around 40 000 infantry one thousand calorie and 2 000 chariots this massive but untested Force Now set off to crush the 14 000 man army of agathiglis which hadn't kept near the recently sacked town of white Tunis we're told that the carthaginians arranged themselves as follows henno with the sacred band on the right bomokar with the Deep Phalanx on the left and the remaining infantry in the center with Cavalry and chariots arranged in the front in response agathicles took the left wing with his personal guard in one thousand hoplites the right was commanded by his son with some 2500 infantry while the remaining 9 000 force of mixed infantry took the center finally some 500 archers and Slingers were divided between the wings diador sicilis further enhances this story by claiming that agathicles had his rowers take up Shield covers and sticks to pose as additional infantry while owls were released among the men to assure them that Athena watched over their ranks soon battle would begin with the charge of the carthaginian Chariots such a site would have surely routed A Greener Force but agathicles men were well disciplined Aero fire cut down the incoming ranks while Chariot teams were allowed to pass through the gaps in the line or even turned back by a stalwart line of Spears next came the charge of the Cavalry which met a similar fate against the immovable phalanx but the true test came as the carthaginian Infantry finally advanced in a huge third wave deodor sicilis reports the following quote a gallant battle developed and Hano who had fighting under him the sacred band of selected men and was intent upon gaining the victory by himself pressed heavily upon the Greeks and slew many of them even when all kinds of missiles were hurled against him he would not yield but pushed on though suffering many wombs yet while Hano and the Punic Elites very nearly achieved a breakthrough when their General was struck down this momentum ground to a halt a gothically is in turn struck back pressing the carthaginian wing all the harder to get our seculus claims that upon hearing this news the general bomocar attempted to withdraw his own forces to more defensible High Ground supposedly this was out of a desire to Doom the nobility of the Sacred band which were his Rivals back in Carthage whatever the case this Ploy failed spectacularly as the redeployment quickly dissolved into a route agathicles and his men now swept over the battlefield without Cavalry the range proved limited but those who fell into their grasp were slaughtered all told our sources claimed that just a few hundred Greeks were killed while several thousand carthaginians were lost in the aftermath agathicles plundered the Punic camp and advanced to the very walls of Carthage this would be the first time that a Greek army had gazed upon the city and two centuries of conflicts between the rivals inside the carthaginians were in an uproar believing that the gods had turned against them to atone for their sins massive offerings of gold and sacrifice were reportedly carried out ships were also sent to Sicily begging Hamilton to return instead the general opted to besiege Syracuse while spreading propaganda that agathicles had been destroyed he was gambling on a base race this was a rather prudent move after all the Greek Sage of Carthage was ultimately symbolic given their small size but a gath police would find other ways to undermine his foes the Invaders now resorted to plundering the countryside this had the effect of replenishing their supplies it also convinced several nearby cities to join agathicles either out of fear of him or hatred of the carthaginians over the following months the Greeks slowly but steadily gained control of the regions around Carthage neopolis thapsis hadrumentum were all put to Siege this salt upon urica was especially brutal here Siege engines bearing hanging prisoners were reportedly brought against the wall and once inside quote agathically is filled the city with slaughter some he killed in hand-to-hand fighting those who were captured he hanged and those who had fled to temples and altars of the Gods he cheated of their hopes all told some 200 towns and cities were reportedly taken but the Invaders could only be so many places at once the carthaginians attempted to take advantage of this by striking at vulnerable positionsiculus reports holographically is masterfully used rapid movement and trickery to cover his weaknesses somehow Against All Odds he was not only surviving but thriving deep within Enemy Lines from here things only got worse for Carthage in 309 BC Hamilton would be killed in action with his Sicilian Army now fracturing into factions outside the walls of Syracuse meanwhile bomelkar attempted a coup which threw the Punic government into chaos while agathicles saw his forces grow in number by murdering the Greek ruler of karinaika and absorbing his army Carthage finally caught a break when Rebellion began to break out in Sicily against the syracusans agathic fleas decided to return home to restore order whilst leaving his son archigathis in command of the African campaign Affairs in Sicily once more proved incredibly difficult owing to the treacherous Geographic and geopolitical nature of the island thus the Tyrant was forced to find an extended series of grueling campaigns meanwhile his son continued to make progress in Africa by subjugating more towns and striking out into the interior yet it seems that archigathis was stretching himself dangerously thin it is at this point that Carthage was finally able to settle its Internal Affairs and prepare for a proper counter-attack forming three separate armies of around 10 000 men each they now simultaneously assaulted the coast the Midlands and the interior the Greeks responded by splitting their own forces in three but arcagathus lacked The Genius of his father in the center his forces were slaughtered in an ambush while along the coast his army was drawn into a trap by feign flight and equally destroyed roughly 12 000 infantry and one thousand Cavalry were lost it was a war-altering disaster with the Greeks now in the back foot many of the conquered regions now switched sides back to Carthage archigathus soon found himself surrounded and desperately called upon his father for Aid agathicles quickly won a string of Victories to settle Affairs in Sicily before sailing to rescue his son the Tyrant managed to rejoin the Army and cobbled together a force whose core was made up of some 12 000 infantry 1 500 Horsemen in addition to an unreliable body of ten thousand libyans these he now marched against the carthaginians which had similarly pooled their forces into a large army either side encamped upon nearby Hills time was on the Punic side and thus agathicles was forced to assault their encampment details are sparse we are told that the battle was hard fought but that the Greeks were driven back with heavy losses in the night which followed deodorusicalis reports an incredible series of events apparently the Punic celebrations led to a fire which quickly spread through their camp Panic spread when false alarms reported that the Greeks were attacking which then caused the entire Army to flee back to nearby Carthage at the same time all this noise reportedly caused a similar Panic among the Greeks who were already shaken by their losses Don seems to have cleared up the confusion but nerves were certainly frayed after such a sleepless night for gathically's the event prompted him to plan a secret Escape when this was discovered his own Army threw him in Chains the Tyrant was eventually released but took the opportunity to flee for good abandoning his men and his sons the remaining Greek forces were now forced to seek pity from the carthagians a deal was struck to negotiate their surrender however some chose to resist in the hopes that a catholicles would return to save them with reinforcements there would be no salvation this time Carthage swept down upon them with vengeful Fury crucifying their leaders which included the sons of agathicles and enslaving the rest to serve as laborers to toil in the fields they had destroyed upon learning of this the Tyrant flew into a rage he reportedly lashed out against the families of those whom he blamed for contributing to the Greek defeat in Africa and soon visited upon the people of Sicily many brutalities Theodor sicilis reports that quote because of the multitude of those who had been slain besides its waves the sea stained with blood over a great expanse proclaimed afar the unequaled savagery of this outrage in 306 BC Syracuse and Carthage would finally come to terms both sides had suffered tremendously in these five years of war it was finally Time For Peace lest they weaken each other to the point that both collapsed from exhaustion the term stipulated that Syracuse would maintain control over Eastern Sicily while Carthage retained control of the West What followed would be a long-awaited period of peace between bitter enemies thus after two centuries of fighting and seven Punic Sicilian Wars neither side had ultimately managed to come out on top taking a step back it's incredible we'll think how much blood was shed for such little gain hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were thrown into the meat grinder for the vain Glory of their leaders in many ways this seemed to prove the Folly of anyone attempting to grab control of Sicily and yet amid these chapters of History filled with pitfalls of failure one can also find examples of success commanders seeking Victory would do well to master these Arts of War while those who ignore them do so at their Peril in the conflicts that loomed on the horizon we see many examples of both but their stories will have to wait for another time I hope you've appreciated this exploration of the often overlooked Punic Sicilian Wars which do much to tell us about the mysterious carthaginian Empire and set the stage for their future Showdown with the Romans remember to take part in your own massive battles with War Thunder play for free on PC Xbox series X and S and PS5 by using my link to download the game and get your exclusive bonus of multiple premium Vehicles a premium account boosters and more see you on the battlefield if you like this series be sure to head on over to our patreon to grab HD art downloads of all our episodes a big thanks to all our current patrons for supporting the channel as well as the researchers writers and artists who make our work possible we couldn't have done it without them and this community to learn more check out these other related episodes see you in the next one

Channel: Invicta

Views: 418,034

Keywords: invicta, invicta history, siege of carthage, punic, punic wars, punic wars oversimplified, punic wars oversimplified reaction, forgotten wars, punic sicilian wars, punic sicilian wars invicta, punic sicilian, carthage, greek history, sacred band, sacred band of carthage, sacred band of thebes, timoleon, balearic slinger, carthage army, siege of syracuse, history documentary, sicilian wars, sicilian wars carthage, carthage documentary, carthage destroyed

Id: xKR7bi4lUys

Length: 103min 57sec (6237 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 09 2023