Theron of Acragas

Tyrant of Acragas (r. c. 489-c. 472 b. c.e.)

Born: Date unknown; place unknown

Died: c. 472 b. c.e.; probably Acragas (later Agrigento), Sicily Category: Government and politics

Life Theron of Acragas (THEHR-ahn of AH-krah-gahz), son of Aenes-idemus, ruled the city of Acragas on the island of Sicily from roughly 489 to 472 b. c.e., but the dates of his life cannot be determined precisely. Early in his reign, he allied with Gelon of Syracuse (who married Theron’s daughter Damarete), the increasingly powerful ruler of Gela. They fought against the Phoenicians on the west side of the island before Gelon took over Syracuse in 485 b. c.e. In 483 b. c.e., Theron seized the city of Himera and expelled Terillus, ally of the Carthaginian general Hamilcar. This expulsion prompted a Carthaginian invasion of Sicily. In 480 b. c.e., however, Theron, in alliance with Gelon, subdued Hamilcar’s forces at the Battle of Himera, reportedly at the same time that the Greeks overwhelmed the Persian attack at Salamis. Using spoils from the war, Theron repopulated Himera and enriched Acragas. After Gelon’s death, tension arose between Theron and Hieron I, Gelon’s brother and successor at Syracuse, but a marriage and alliance prevented hostilities.

Influence Theron, although second in stature to Gelon, was renowned for bringing prosperity to Sicily. In Acragas, he was heralded as a hero after his death.

Further Reading

Dunbabin, R. J. The Western Greeks. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Finley, M. I. A History of Sicily. Vol. 1. London: Chatto & Windus, 1968.

Wilfred E. Major

See also: Gelon of Syracuse; Hieron I of Syracuse; Salamis, Battle of.