Gelon

According to Herodotus, Gelon's ancestors came from the island of Telos in the Aegean Sea and were the founders of the city of Gela in southern Sicily.

[citation needed] Gelon fought in a number of the conflicts between the various tyrant kings of Sicily and earned a reputation as a formidable soldier.

[5] But it was not until Hippocrates was killed in a battle with the native Sicel tribe of Sicily at Hybla that Gelon's rise to power began.

Seeing an opportunity for expansion, Gelon used his now large military force to capture the city of Syracuse with little or no resistance, reinstating the exiled Gamori.

He continued this strategy as he conquered nearby Euboea and Megara Hyblaea (483 BC), forcibly removing the aristocracy from each city and placing the rest of the population in slavery.

According to Herodotus, because he was raised as a noble and was constantly in the presence of nobility, Gelon did not care for the lower class, and "found the common people unpleasant to share a house with".

The Carthaginians were keen to increase their influence and territory in Sicily and the opportunity came at a perfect time because of the coming Persian invasion of Greece.

In any case, in 480 BC a Carthaginian force of 300,000 men landed at Panormus on the north coast of Sicily and advanced east towards Himera, led by their general Hamilcar.

Once inside they signalled to the rest of Gelon's troops, who were stationed in the mountains overlooking the camp, by setting fire to Hamilcar's ships.

The riches collected from the Carthaginian camp, as well as the 2,000 talents of silver that resulted from the peace treaty with Carthage, were dispersed by Gelon among his troops and his allies, with a large amount designated for the construction of a new temple in Syracuse.

According to Herodotus, upon his return to his capital, Gelon organized a meeting with the people of Syracuse, and described to them his actions during the war with Hamilcar, and the manner in which he dispersed the spoils.

He constructed a theatre which improved the city's culture, and following the victory at Himera, he built an ornate temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.

There is little doubt that if Hamilcar had managed to defeat the large Sicilian force of Gelon and Theron, he could have conquered the entire island of Sicily if he so wished.