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Siege of Syracuse (212 BC)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Syracuse by the Roman Republic
took place in 214
-212 BC
, at the end of which the Magna Graecia
Hellenistic
city of Syracuse
, located on the east coast of Sicily
, fell. The Romans stormed the city after a protracted siege giving them control of the entire island of Sicily. During the siege, the city was protected by weapons developed by Archimedes
. Archimedes, the great inventor and polymath
, was slain at the conclusion of the siege by a Roman soldier, in contravention of the Roman general Marcellus
' instructions to spare his life.
(264-241 BC), was the first province of the Roman Republic. The Kingdom of Syracuse was an allied independent region in the south east of the island and a close ally of Rome during the long reign of King Hiero II. In 215 BC, Hiero's grandson, Hieronymus
, came to the throne on his grandfather's death and Syracuse fell under the influence of an anti-Roman faction, including two of his uncles, amongst the Syracusan elite. Despite the assassination of Hieronymus and the removal of the pro-Carthaginian leaders, Rome's threatening reaction to the danger that a Syracusian alliance with Carthage would bring forced the new republican leaders of Syracuse to prepare for war.
Despite diplomatic attempts, war broke out between the Roman Republic
and the Kingdom of Syracuse in 214 BC
, while the Romans were still busy battling with Carthage
at the height of the Second Punic War
(218-201 BC).
A Roman force led by the General Marcus Claudius Marcellus
consequently laid siege to the port city by sea and land. The city of Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily
was renowned for its significant fortifications, great walls that protected the city from attack. Among the Syracuse defenders was the mathematician and scientist Archimedes
.
, a floating siege tower
with grappling hook
s, as well as ship mounted scaling ladders that were lowered with pulleys onto the city walls.
Despite these novel inventions, Archimedes devised defensive devices to counter the Roman efforts including a huge crane operated hook — the Claw of Archimedes
— that was used to lift the enemy ships out of the sea before dropping them to their doom. Legend has it that he also created a giant mirror
(see Heat ray) that was used to deflect the powerful Mediterranean sun onto the ships' sails, setting fire to them although there is no contemporaneous proof of such a weapon. These measures, along with the fire from ballista
s and onagers
mounted on the city walls, frustrated the Romans and forced them to attempt costly direct assaults.
with the Romans unable to force their way into the city or keep their blockade tight enough to stop supplies reaching the defenders, and the Syracusians unable to force the Romans to withdraw.
The Carthaginians realised the potential hindrance a continuing Syracusian defense could cause to the Roman war effort and attempted to relieve the city from the besiegers but were driven back. Though they planned another attempt, they could not afford the necessary troops and ships with the ongoing war against the Romans in Spain, and the Syracusians were on their own.
, the Romans received information that the city's inhabitants were to participate in the annual festival to their goddess Artemis
. A small party of Roman soldiers approached the city under the cover of night and managed to scale the walls to get into the outer city. Killing the few guards on duty, the Roman soldiers were then reinforced by more men and then stormed the relaxing Syracusians as they slumbered and opened the city gates to the rest of their forces.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus had ordered that Archimedes, the well-known mathematician - and possibly equally well-known to Marcellus as the inventor of the mechanical devices that had so dominated the siege - should not be killed. Archimedes, who was now around 78 years of age, continued his studies after the breach by the Romans and while at home, his work was disturbed by a Roman soldier. Archimedes protested at this interruption of his work and coarsely told the soldier to leave; the soldier, not knowing who he was, killed Archimedes on the spot.
The Romans now controlled the outer city but the remainder of the population of Syracuse had quickly fallen back to the fortified inner citadel
, offering continued resistance. The Romans now put siege to the citadel and were successful in cutting off supplies to this reduced area. After a lengthy eight-month siege which brought great hardship onto the defenders through hunger, a Syracusan traitor finally opened the gates to the Romans. Frustrated and angered after the lengthy and costly siege, the Romans rampaged through the citadel and slaughtered many of the Syracusians where they stood and enslaved most of the rest. The city was then thoroughly looted and sacked.
and Greece
in coming Roman conflicts.
Syracuse was later extensively rebuilt and repopulated and would be an important city for the Roman empire until well into the 5th century, playing both a military and economic part in the creation of the empire.
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
took place in 214
214 BC
Year 214 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Marcellus...
-212 BC
212 BC
Year 212 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Pulcher...
, at the end of which the Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
Hellenistic
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
city of Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
, located on the east coast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, fell. The Romans stormed the city after a protracted siege giving them control of the entire island of Sicily. During the siege, the city was protected by weapons developed by Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
. Archimedes, the great inventor and polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
, was slain at the conclusion of the siege by a Roman soldier, in contravention of the Roman general Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus , five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War...
' instructions to spare his life.
Prelude
Sicily, which was wrested from Carthaginian control during the First Punic WarFirst Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
(264-241 BC), was the first province of the Roman Republic. The Kingdom of Syracuse was an allied independent region in the south east of the island and a close ally of Rome during the long reign of King Hiero II. In 215 BC, Hiero's grandson, Hieronymus
Hieronymus of Syracuse
Hieronymus was a tyrant of Syracuse. He succeeded his grandfather, Hiero II, in 215 BC. He was at this time only fifteen years old, and he ascended the throne at a crisis full of peril, for the battle of Cannae had given a shock to the Roman power, the influence of which had been felt in Sicily;...
, came to the throne on his grandfather's death and Syracuse fell under the influence of an anti-Roman faction, including two of his uncles, amongst the Syracusan elite. Despite the assassination of Hieronymus and the removal of the pro-Carthaginian leaders, Rome's threatening reaction to the danger that a Syracusian alliance with Carthage would bring forced the new republican leaders of Syracuse to prepare for war.
Despite diplomatic attempts, war broke out between the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and the Kingdom of Syracuse in 214 BC
214 BC
Year 214 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Marcellus...
, while the Romans were still busy battling with Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
at the height of the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
(218-201 BC).
A Roman force led by the General Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus , five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War...
consequently laid siege to the port city by sea and land. The city of Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
was renowned for its significant fortifications, great walls that protected the city from attack. Among the Syracuse defenders was the mathematician and scientist Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
.
Siege
The city was fiercely defended for many months against all the measures the Romans could bring to bear. Realising how difficult the siege would be, the Romans brought their own unique devices and inventions to aid their assault. These included the sambucaSambuca (siege engine)
The sambuca was a ship-borne siege engine which was invented by Heraclides of Tarentum and were first used unsuccessfully by Marcus Claudius Marcellus during the Roman siege of Syracuse in 213 BC. Polybius describes usage of the machine:...
, a floating siege tower
Siege tower
A siege tower is a specialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. The tower was often rectangular with four wheels with its height roughly equal to that of the wall or sometimes higher to allow archers to stand on...
with grappling hook
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
s, as well as ship mounted scaling ladders that were lowered with pulleys onto the city walls.
Despite these novel inventions, Archimedes devised defensive devices to counter the Roman efforts including a huge crane operated hook — the Claw of Archimedes
Claw of Archimedes
The Claw of Archimedes was an ancient weapon devised by Archimedes to defend the seaward portion of Syracuse's city wall against amphibious assault...
— that was used to lift the enemy ships out of the sea before dropping them to their doom. Legend has it that he also created a giant mirror
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
(see Heat ray) that was used to deflect the powerful Mediterranean sun onto the ships' sails, setting fire to them although there is no contemporaneous proof of such a weapon. These measures, along with the fire from ballista
Ballista
The ballista , plural ballistae, was an ancient missile weapon which launched a large projectile at a distant target....
s and onagers
Onager (siege weapon)
The onager was a Roman siege engine, which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine, similar to that of an onager , it was created as a simpler, cheaper version of the ballista. The Onager is a type of catapult that uses torsional pressure, generally from twisted rope, to store...
mounted on the city walls, frustrated the Romans and forced them to attempt costly direct assaults.
Stalemate
The siege bogged down to a stalemateStalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
with the Romans unable to force their way into the city or keep their blockade tight enough to stop supplies reaching the defenders, and the Syracusians unable to force the Romans to withdraw.
The Carthaginians realised the potential hindrance a continuing Syracusian defense could cause to the Roman war effort and attempted to relieve the city from the besiegers but were driven back. Though they planned another attempt, they could not afford the necessary troops and ships with the ongoing war against the Romans in Spain, and the Syracusians were on their own.
Victory
The successes of the Syracusians in repelling the Roman siege had made them overconfident. In 212 BC212 BC
Year 212 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Pulcher...
, the Romans received information that the city's inhabitants were to participate in the annual festival to their goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
. A small party of Roman soldiers approached the city under the cover of night and managed to scale the walls to get into the outer city. Killing the few guards on duty, the Roman soldiers were then reinforced by more men and then stormed the relaxing Syracusians as they slumbered and opened the city gates to the rest of their forces.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus had ordered that Archimedes, the well-known mathematician - and possibly equally well-known to Marcellus as the inventor of the mechanical devices that had so dominated the siege - should not be killed. Archimedes, who was now around 78 years of age, continued his studies after the breach by the Romans and while at home, his work was disturbed by a Roman soldier. Archimedes protested at this interruption of his work and coarsely told the soldier to leave; the soldier, not knowing who he was, killed Archimedes on the spot.
The Romans now controlled the outer city but the remainder of the population of Syracuse had quickly fallen back to the fortified inner citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
, offering continued resistance. The Romans now put siege to the citadel and were successful in cutting off supplies to this reduced area. After a lengthy eight-month siege which brought great hardship onto the defenders through hunger, a Syracusan traitor finally opened the gates to the Romans. Frustrated and angered after the lengthy and costly siege, the Romans rampaged through the citadel and slaughtered many of the Syracusians where they stood and enslaved most of the rest. The city was then thoroughly looted and sacked.
Aftermath
The city of Syracuse was now under the influence of Rome again, who now united the whole of Sicily as a Roman province. The taking of Syracuse ensured that the Carthaginians could not get a foothold in Sicily, which could have led them to give support to Hannibal's Italian campaign, and this allowed the Romans to concentrate on waging the war in Spain and Italy. The island was used as a vital gathering point for the final victorious campaign in Africa 10 years later and would prove to be an important step onto both AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in coming Roman conflicts.
Syracuse was later extensively rebuilt and repopulated and would be an important city for the Roman empire until well into the 5th century, playing both a military and economic part in the creation of the empire.
In popular culture
- Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse are dramatically reenacted in the classic early Italian silent film CabiriaCabiriaCabiria is a silent movie from the early years of Italy's movie industry, directed by Giovanni Pastrone . The movie is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War . It follows a melodramatic main plot about an abducted little girl, Cabiria, and features...
(1914).
External links
- Livius, Syracuse: History http://www.livius.org/su-sz/syracuse/syracuse_history05.html
- Roman-empire.net, Capture of Syracuse http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/earlyrep-index.html#capturesyracuse
- Plutarch's Life of Marcellus