Читать книгу A Companion to Greek Warfare - Группа авторов - Страница 56

Although we know of only one early armed border conflict, one between Leontini and Megara Hyblaea in the sixth century (Polyaen. 5.47), violent disputes over boundaries certainly occurred regularly during the foundation of colonies. For example, the war between Syracuse and Camarina in the mid-sixth century was a border dispute in a broad sense, as the causa belli was the lack of loyalty by Camarina, founded by Syracuse as a buffer against the potential ambitions of neighboring Gela. Camarina revolted only a few decades after her foundation, with the support of Gela and her local non-Greek neighbors (Philistus, FGrH 556 Fr5). After a coalition of Syracuse, Megara Hyblaea, and Enna quelled the revolt, all inhabitants were apparently deported to Syracuse, as noted by Thucydides (6.5.3). Since archaeological evidence proves continuous settlement through the sixth and early fifth centuries, we must assume that Syracuse merely asserted its hegemony. Because of her position, Camarina remained a plaything of outside powers throughout her history. In the early fifth century, she was given as payment to Hippocrates of Gela after he defeated Syracuse in the battle of Helorus (Hdt. 7.154.3). When Gelon became tyrant of Syracuse in 485, he destroyed Camarina and transferred her inhabitants to Syracuse (Hdt. 7.156). The city was later repopulated by the Geloans and continued to mark the border between the Greek and Carthaginian spheres of influence from the fourth century onward.

Heraclea Minoa, built in the sixth century to secure the border of Selinus (Hdt. 5.46.2), shares this story. Clashes with the neighboring polis of Acragas likely had occurred in the late sixth century, after which Acragas donated spoils from Minoa to Athena Lindia in Rhodes (FGrH 240 F16). Furthermore, Herodotus recounts that the remainder of the unlucky Spartan expedition to western Sicily turned their attention to Heraclea and freed the city from Selinuntine dominion (Hdt. 5.46.2). By 500, however, it had been seized by Acragas and was subsequently occupied by unemployed mercenaries soon after the fall of the Deinomenids (FGrH 577 F1). Like Camarina, the city of Heraclea came under the authority of Carthage in the fourth century.

The ambitious apoikia of Acragas previously had expanded both west and east, to the detriment of her mother city, Gela. Although no evidence for violent encounters between the two cities remains, the initial expansion of Acragas likely incorporated Sicilian hilltop sites formerly within the sphere of influence of Gela. As proven by literary sources and archaeological evidence, Acragas’ area of control stretched to Himera on the northern shore of Sicily by the first quarter of the fifth century, when Theron from the Emmenid family was tyrant in Acragas and Terillus was ruler in Himera.⁷ The surrender of Himera to Theron of Acragas in 483 certainly prompted the issue of a series of coins struck in Himera with the Acragantine crab on the reverse.