Timoleon of Corinth
Timoleon of Corinth was a significant Greek statesman and general known for his role in liberating Syracuse from tyrannical rule in the 4th century BCE. In 344 BCE, the citizens of Syracuse sought help from Corinth, leading to Timoleon's appointment as leader of a mercenary army sent to overthrow the oppressive Dionysius the Younger. Renowned for his staunch opposition to tyranny, Timoleon previously gained notoriety by aiding in the assassination of his own brother, who sought absolute power in Corinth. Upon arriving in Sicily, he swiftly triumphed over two rival armies, resulting in Dionysius's exile and the removal of other Sicilian tyrants.
Timoleon's governance included drafting a new constitution for Syracuse that safeguarded citizens' freedoms and promoting economic growth by inviting settlers from Greece to repopulate the region. His leadership also successfully resisted a Carthaginian invasion. Remarkably, Timoleon retired from public life around 337 BCE—an uncommon decision for the time—yet continued to offer guidance to the Syracuse assembly despite later becoming blind. His legacy is marked by the restoration of law and order, as well as revitalization of Sicilian prosperity, solidifying his reputation as one of the most admirable figures of his era according to historians like Plutarch.
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Timoleon of Corinth
Related civilization: Classical Greece
Major role/position: General
Life
In 344 b.c.e., the citizens of Syracuse appealed to Corinth, the mother city that had sent the first colonists to Syracuse, for aid in overthrowing Dionysius the Younger, who oppressed the city as tyrant. The Corinthian assembly provided a small army of mercenaries, appointing Timoleon (tih-MOH-lee-uhn) of Corinth as leader. Timoleon had earned a reputation as an opponent of tyranny by aiding the assassination of his older brother when he tried to become absolute ruler of Corinth.
Landing in Sicily that summer, Timoleon rapidly defeated two opposing armies, occupied Syracuse, and sent Dionysius the Younger into exile in Corinth. By 341 b.c.e., Timoleon had unseated the other Sicilian tyrants and successfully opposed a Carthaginian invasion. He wrote a constitution for Syracuse that protected the freedom of its citizens. By inviting new settlers from Greece, Timoleon repopulated Sicily, stimulating an economic revival.
In about 337 b.c.e., Timoleon retired from office, at that time an unheard-of act, and lived his remaining life near Syracuse. Although soon becoming blind, he continued to advise the Syracuse assembly.
Influence
Timoleon reestablished the rule of law and restored prosperity to Sicily. Plutarch, in his life of Timoleon, concludes that Timoleon had “done the greatest and noblest things of any Greek of his age.”
Bibliography
Talbert, R. J. A. Timoleon and the Revival of Greek Sicily, 344-317 b.c. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1974.
Tritle, Lawrence A., ed. The Greek World in the Fourth Century. New York: Routledge, 1997.