Heurs et malheurs d’un tyran : le cas de Hiéron de Syracuse

Abstract

The analysis focuses on the figure of Hieron, a Syracusan tyrant who met with mixed fortune in scholarly studies. Often compared with his brother Gelon, the second of the Deinonedides was seen as a rapacious and violent tyrant. We here reconsider the testimonies on Hieron in order to find out to what extent that judgment actually corresponds to the image which the tradition of Antiquity gave of the tyrant. The case of Hieron offers above all an opportunity to examine the lines which oriented the studies on tyranny in Sicily and to provide an outline of the latest prospects of research.

Keywords

• Hieron
• Sicily
• tyranny
• Syracusae
• Athens