Syracuse, City of Legends A Glory of Sicily

by Dummett, Jeremy

• ISBN13: 9781848853225
• ISBN10: 184885322X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-15
• Publisher: Bloomsbury

Summary

Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. Syracuse, City of Legends - the first modern historical guide to the city - explores Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and reveals why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Sappho, Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends also offers detailed descriptions of the principal monuments from each period in the city's life, explaining their physical location as well as their historical context. This vivid and engaging history weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and will be an invaluable companion for anyone visiting the city as well as a compelling introduction to its ancient and modern history.

Author Biography

Jeremy Dummett read history at frinity College, Cambridge, where he became interested in the history and culture of Italy. His professional career took him to Athens and Milan, where he lived and worked for over twelve years. Now retired, he is a frequent visitor to Sicily. (www.jeremydummett.com)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Prologue	p. xvi
The Story of Syracuse: From Greek City State to Modern Times
Foundation and the Rule of Gelon and Hiero I	p. 3
The Athenian Expedition to Sicily	p. 17
Dionysius I: Tyrant and Warlord	p. 39
Five More Tyrants	p. 57
Hiero II and the Roman Siege	p. 73
Cicero and the Rise of Rome	p. 89
Santa Lucia and the Early Christians	p. 105
Byzantium and the Arab Siege	p. 115
Outline to 1945	p. 129
Modern Syracuse	p. 147
The Principal Monuments: A Commentary
The Greek Era	p. 159
The Roman Era	p. 175
The Early Christian Era	p. 183
Baroque Syracuse	p. 191
Other Important Monuments	p. 199
Notes	p. 205
Further Reading	p. 215
Bibliography	p. 217
Chronological Table	p. 223
Glossary	p. 227
Index	p. 237
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