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Tadlock Dissertation Final Draft.pdf (2 MB)

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Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily

Tadlock, Stephen Kyle
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-1275
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1522241831627667

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
The purpose of this dissertation is to lay the foundation for a new understanding of Sicilian history that returns these western Greeks to the fold of Hellenic history by showing that their experiences, both political and military, were not as unique as previously argued. The argument begins with mercenaries and tyrants, but then branches out to consider larger questions, such as the relationship between the Greek colonists and the natives of Sicily and the relative health of the polis system on the island. I begin by arguing, based on archaeological evidence, that the Greek colonists on Sicily were able to live at peace with those with whom they shared the island for at least a century. During this time, the Sicilian Greeks were able to transform their small colonies into thriving, politically-stable Greek cities, often rivaling and surpassing their metropoles in size and wealth. In the Archaic Age (800-490 BC), tyrants emerged on the island in similar numbers and used similar methods to obtain power as on the mainland. In neither location were mercenaries a primary means of seizing or maintaining power. Mercenaries only began to be used commonly on Sicily in the Classical Age (490-323 BC), when hired soldiers were becoming increasingly common in Greek warfare across the Mediterranean. It was also at this time that the relationship between tyrants and mercenaries was established by propaganda produced at Athens against Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse (r.405-367). In the end, I conclude that Sicily and mainland Greece were similar in terms of their military and political development.
Gregor Anderson (Advisor)
Nathan Rosenstein (Committee Member)
Timothy Gregory (Committee Member)
206 p.
Ancient Civilizations; Ancient History; Classical Studies; History; Military History
Sicily; mercenaries; Dionysius I; ancient history; tyranny; tyrants

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tadlock, S. K. (2018). Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1522241831627667

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tadlock, Stephen. Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily . 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1522241831627667.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tadlock, Stephen. "Forging the Sword of Damocles: Memory, Mercenaries, and Monarchy on Sicily ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1522241831627667

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.