Hiero I of Syracuse

Who was Hiero I of Syracuse?

Hieron I was the son of Deinomenes, the brother of Gelon and tyrant of Syracuse in Sicily from 478 to 467 BC. In succeeding Gelon, he conspired against a third brother Polyzelos. During his reign, he greatly increased the power of Syracuse. He removed the inhabitants of Naxos and Catana to Leontini, peopled Catana with Dorians, concluded an alliance with Acragas and espoused the cause of the Locrians against Anaxilas, tyrant of Rhegium.

His most important military achievement was the defeat of the Etruscans and Carthaginians at the Battle of Cumae, by which he saved the Greeks of Campania from Etruscan domination. A bronze helmet, with an inscription commemorating the event, was dedicated at Olympia.

Hieron's reign was marked by the creation of the first secret police in Greek history, but he was a liberal patron of literature and culture. The poets Simonides, Pindar, Bacchylides, Aeschylus, and Epicharmus were active at his court, as well the philosopher Xenophanes. He was an active participant in panhellenic athletic contests, winning several victories in the single horse race and also in the chariot race. He won the chariot race at Delphi in 470 and at Olympia in 468. Other odes dedicated to him include Pindar's first Olympian Ode, his second and third Pythian odes, and Bacchylides' fourth and fifth victory odes.