The Mediterranean island of Sicily, with its natural resources and strategic position on ancient trading routes, aroused the intense interest of successive empires from Carthage to Athens to Rome. Consequently, the island was never far from centre-stage in regional politics and was very often a theatre of war throughout the Classical period. Invasions, tyrants, and battles did, though, eventually give way to centuries of relative peace and prosperity as a Roman province. Sicily's historical legacy today includes some of the most impressive and best-preserved ancient monuments in the Mediterranean, testimony to the island's rich cultural history.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 750 BCEPhoenicians found the colony of Motya on Sicily.
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734 BCEChalcis founds the colony of Naxos on Sicily.
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733 BCECorinth founds the colony of Syracuse in Sicily.
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c. 720 BCEChalcis founds the colony of Rhegium in Sicily.
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c. 689 BCERhodes and Cretans found Gela in Sicily.
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c. 630 BCEMessana founds the colony of Himera on Sicily.
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c. 630 BCESelinus is founded by colonists from Megara Hyblaea, Sicily.
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580 BCE - 376 BCECarthage and Greece fight for dominance in Sicily.
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580 BCE - 576 BCEWar between the Sicilian city-states of Segesta and Selinus.
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580 BCE - 560 BCEThe main temple of the acropolis, Temple C, was built at Selinus.
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c. 580 BCEAgrigento in Sicily is founded by colonists from Gela, Crete and Rhodes.
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c. 570 BCE - c. 549 BCEThe tyrant Phalaris rules Agrigento, expanding its territory.
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491 BCE - 478 BCEGelon is tyrant of Syracuse.
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491 BCE - 478 BCEReign of Gelon, tyrant of Gela on Sicily.
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c. 489 BCE - c. 473 BCEThe tyrant Theron rules Agrigento.
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480 BCETyrant of Syracuse Gelon defeats the Carthaginians at the battle of Himera.
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480 BCEAgrigento defeats Carthage at the battle of Himera.
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c. 480 BCEThe huge temple of Zeus is built at Agrigento.
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478 BCE - 467 BCEHiero I is tyrant of Syracuse.
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458 BCEA treaty of cooperation is signed between the Sicilian city-state of Segesta and Athens.
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450 BCE - 430 BCEThe Temple of Concordia is built at Agrigento.
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416 BCEWar breaks out again between rival Sicilian city-states Segesta and Selinus.
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415 BCE - 413 BCEAthenian expedition to attack Syracuse.
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415 BCEAthens launches an expedition against Sicily, the pretext being protection of Segesta.
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c. 415 BCEAlcibiades persuades the Athenian assembly to send a military expedition to Sicily.
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413 BCEThe Athenian expedition in Sicily ends in disastrous defeat and the Athenian generals Nicias and Demosthenes are executed.
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413 BCEAgrigento remains neutral in the war between Athens and Syracuse.
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406 BCEA Carthaginian army sacks Gela on Sicily.
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406 BCEAgrigento is attacked and destroyed by Carthage.
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405 BCEDionysius becomes tyrant in Syracuse, Sicily.
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c. 398 BCE - c. 380 BCEPlato travels in Egypt, Cyrene, Italy, Syracuse and Sicily.
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396 BCEThe Carthaginian city of Lilybaeum is founded on Sicily.
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367 BCEDionysius II becomes tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily.
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356 BCEDion becomes tyrant of Syracuse.
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346 BCEDionysius II is once again tyrant of Syracuse.
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344 BCETimoleon defeats Dionysius II of Syracuse and establishes an oligarchy government.
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c. 341 BCETimoleon defeats a Carthaginian army at the battle of Crimisus in Sicily.
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339 BCEGela on Sicily is rebuilt by the Corinthian general Timoleon.
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338 BCETimoleon agrees a peace treaty with Carthage over their control of Sicily.
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317 BCEAgathocles takes power in Syracuse.
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311 BCEA Carthaginian army defeats Agathocles of Syracuse near Gela, Sicily.
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309 BCESyracuse defeats a Carthaginian army in Sicily and kills their general Hamilcar.
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306 BCEAgathocles declares himself king of Syracuse.
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306 BCECarthage and Agathocles of Syracuse sign a peace treaty and divide Sicily between them.
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289 BCEAgathocles of Syracuse dies from poison or illness.
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288 BCEHicetus becomes tyrant of Syracuse.
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282 BCEGela, on Sicily, is destroyed by Phintias, the tyrant of Agrigento.
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270 BCE - 215 BCEHiero II is tyrant of Syracuse.
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264 BCEThe Mamertines at Messana on Sicily call for Carthaginian and then Roman help in defence against Syracuse, sparking the First Punic War.
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264 BCE - 241 BCEFirst Punic War. Carthage cedes Sicily to Rome.
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263 BCESegesta joins the Roman cause in the First Punic War.
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262 BCERome besieges and sacks Agrigento on Sicily in one of the first actions of the First Punic War.
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254 BCERomans capture Palermo during the First Punic War.
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250 BCESelinus on Sicily is abandoned.
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Jun 250 BCEA Carthaginian army led by Hasdrubal is defeated by Roman consul Metellus near Palermo in the First Punic War.
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247 BCEHamilcar Barca raids southern Italy and then lands on Sicily during the First Punic War.
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244 BCEHamilcar Barca captures Eryx on Sicily during the First Punic War.
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213 BCE - 212 BCERoman commander Marcus Claudius Marcellus lays seige to and ultimately sacks Syracuse.
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212 BCEA Carthaginian army is defeated in Sicily by a Roman army led by Marcellus. Syracuse falls to Rome who now control the island.
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210 BCERome attacks Agrigento.
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201 BCESyracuse joins the Roman Republic, province of Sicily is formed.
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189 CESeptimius Severus is proconsul of Sicily. Birth of Geta, his second son.
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535 CEBelisarius conquers Sicily and Naples.
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1035 CEThe Emir of Sicily, Ahmad al-Akhal, makes a treaty with the Byzantines rendering Sicily a virtual protectorate.
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1038 CEByzantine forces under George Maniakes invade Muslim Sicily.