AgathoklesAgathocles

(361-289 BCE) The son of Karkinus (Carcinus), a successful pottery maker, and a native of the island of Sicily; born in the city of Thermae circa 361 BCE.

Agathokles was raised in the city of Syracuse during the reign of Timoleon and demonstrated his military skill and political ambitions while still a young man.

After the death of Timoleon (circa 300 BCE), Agathokles was banished by the oligarchy and took refuge in southern Italy; he helped organize the defense of his father’s hometown of Rhegium from aggression by Syracuse and thereby toppled the oligarchy which had banished him.

Agathokles returned briefly to Syracuse but was soon again banished; this time he did not flee Sicily but instead organized a revolt and overthrew the government of Syracuse and was elected strategos with powers exceeding those of a mere general.

This time Agathokles did not trust the workings of the oligarchy so he instituted a military coup and assumed complete control of the government which resulted in the murder or banishment of all the previous members of the oligarchy.

With or without the support of the populace, Agathokles was now the undisputed tyrant of Syracuse; he immediately began a campaign against several cities which he felt were politically dangerous to him in that they gave refuge to members of the oligarchy which he had banished.

The African city of Carthage had a considerable interest in the politics of the island of Sicily and in 314 BCE, at the request of the city of Messana, the Carthaginians brokered a peace in which they would retain control of eastern Sicily but Agathokles would control the eastern Greek colony cities.

In 311 BCE, in violation of the treaty with Carthage, Agathokles tried unsuccessfully to gain control of the entire island of Sicily; his defeat encouraged the Carthaginians to march against Syracuse; in a desperate, or perhaps inspired, maneuver Agathokles left the defense of Syracuse to his brother and personally took an army to Africa to attack Carthage; the war went poorly on both fronts and Agathokles was obliged to divide his attention between the defense of Syracuse and the assault on Carthage.

Finally, in 306 BCE, another peace agreement was reached with the Carthaginians with essentially the same boundaries as the previous treaty.

Circa 300 BCE, Agathokles began a campaign of conquest in southern Italy which was somewhat successful; he ventured as far west and the island of Kerkyra (Corcyra).

Agathokles was assassinated circa 289 BCE and, as a testament to his despicable reputation, an attempt was made to have his name erased from all public records.