Syracuse, << SIHR uh `kyoos,` >> on the southeastern coast of Sicily, was one of the most powerful cities of the ancient Greek world. Greeks from Corinth founded the city about 734 B.C. It grew rapidly and became a cultural center under Hiero I, who built an empire in southern Italy. A democracy was established at Syracuse after Hiero’s death. It defeated a strong Athenian force that besieged the city from 415 to 413 B.C. But internal troubles and threats from Carthage brought to power a harsh military ruler—Dionysius the Elder. After Dionysius’s death in 367 B.C., Syracuse declined.
After 345 B.C., the Corinthian general Timoleon defeated the Carthaginians and rebuilt the city. During the rule of Hiero II, in the 200’s B.C., Syracuse was allied with Rome. But the city later sided with Carthage, and Romans captured it in 212 B.C., after a three-year siege. The mathematician Archimedes aided the defenders during the siege with several defensive devices he invented (see Archimedes ). Syracuse then became the capital of the Roman province of Sicily. In A.D. 878, the Muslims destroyed Syracuse. The town of Siracusa now stands on its site.
