Battle of Himera (480 BC) facts for kids

The Battle of Himera took place in 480 BC. It was a major fight in the Sicilian Wars. In this battle, the Greek armies from Syracuse, led by King Gelo, and from Akragas, led by Theron, defeated the powerful Carthaginian forces. The Carthaginian army was led by Hamilcar.

This battle stopped Carthage from putting a ruler they liked back in charge of Himera. Some old stories say this battle happened on the same day as the famous Battle of Salamis in mainland Greece. Modern experts don't think this is true. However, they agree that this victory greatly weakened Carthage's power in Sicily for many years.

In 2007 and 2008, archaeologists found mass graves from the battle. This helped confirm where the battle happened and what it was like.

Ancient Sicily: A Mix of Cultures

For a long time, the island of Sicily was home to different groups of people. The Phoenicians, who were great traders, set up trading posts along the coast after 900 BC. They traded with local groups like the Elymian, Sicani, and Siculi.

Greeks Arrive in Sicily

Around 750 BC, Greek settlers started arriving in Sicily. The Phoenicians moved to cities like Motya, Panormus, and Solus. These cities stayed independent for a while. But after 540 BC, they became part of the Carthaginian empire. This likely happened when a Carthaginian general named Malchus took control of much of Sicily.

Carthage Becomes a Strong Power

Carthage grew powerful to stop the Greeks from expanding too much. At first, the Phoenicians didn't fight the Greeks. But as Greeks moved further west, Carthage became the main leader against them. During the 6th century BC, Carthage became very strong in trade across the Western Mediterranean Sea.

The first big fight between Phoenicians and Greeks in Sicily happened in 580 BC. The Phoenicians and Elymians teamed up to defeat Greeks from Selinus and Rhodes. This showed that Carthage was ready to defend its interests.

Greek Cities Grow and Fight

The Greek cities in Sicily were like those in mainland Greece. They wanted to expand their land and trade. They also had their own rivalries, especially between the Dorian and Ionian Greeks. As trade grew, both the Greek and Phoenician cities in Sicily became very rich. This wealth allowed some Greek cities to expand even more. This led to the first major conflicts, known as the "First Sicilian War."

Carthage Joins the Fight

In 510 BC, Carthage and the Elymians worked together again. They fought against Prince Dorieus from Sparta, who tried to start a new colony in Sicily. Dorieus was defeated and killed. After this, some Sicilian Greek cities fought back against Carthage. This led to a treaty that gave the Greeks some trade benefits. Mainland Greece didn't send help to avenge Dorieus. This showed that single Greek cities might not be strong enough to fight Carthage alone.

Powerful Greek Rulers in Sicily

While Carthage was busy in Sardinia, many Greek cities in Sicily came under the rule of "tyrants." These were powerful rulers who took control of cities. The tyrants of Gela, Akragas, and Rhegion expanded their lands between 505 and 480 BC. The city of Gela, a Dorian Greek city, was the most successful.

Dorian Greeks Take Control

Cleander (505–498 BC) and his brother Hippocrates (498–491 BC) of Gela took over many Greek areas. By 490 BC, several cities, including Zankle and Leontini, were under Gela's control. Gelo, who took over after Hippocrates, captured Syracuse and made it his capital. He made Syracuse the most powerful city in Sicily.

Meanwhile, Akragas, another Dorian city, also grew stronger under its tyrant Theron (488–472 BC). To avoid fighting each other, Gelo and Theron formed an alliance. They married into each other's families, creating a strong united front.

Ionian Greeks Ask Carthage for Help

To balance the power of the Dorians, Anaxilas of Rhegion (from Italy) allied with Terillus of Himera. Anaxilas even married Terillus's daughter. Himera and Rhegion then became allies of Carthage. They even formed personal friendships with the Magonid family, who ruled Carthage. Selinus, a Dorian city near Theron's land, also allied with Carthage. This was probably because they feared Theron.

By 483 BC, Sicily had three main power groups:

• Ionian Greeks in the north.
• Carthage in the west.
• Dorian Greeks in the east and south.

The local Sicels and Sikans mostly stayed out of the way. The Elymians joined the Carthaginian alliance.

The Road to Battle

The city of Himera had once asked a tyrant named Phalaris to rule them. Theron followed this example when he removed Terillus from power in Himera in 483 BC. Terillus likely didn't have much support from the people.

Terillus asked Hamilcar, the leader of Carthage, for help. Anaxilas also supported Terillus and even sent his own children to Carthage as a sign of loyalty. After three years, Hamilcar led a large Carthaginian army to Sicily in 480 BC. This happened at the same time as the Persian king Xerxes was attacking mainland Greece.

Gelo Refuses Help to Mainland Greece

Mainland Greeks sent messengers to Gelo asking for his help against Xerxes. Gelo complained that they hadn't helped him against Carthage in the past. He offered to send a huge army and navy, but only if he was made the supreme commander of all Greek forces. The Spartans disagreed, and then the Athenians also objected. So, the mainland Greeks left without Gelo's help. Gelo also played it safe: he sent ships to Delphi with instructions to surrender to Xerxes if the Persians won.

Carthaginian Army Arrives

Hamilcar gathered a massive army. Old stories say it had 300,000 soldiers from places like Spain, Sardinia, and Africa. They were mostly mercenaries (hired soldiers). Modern historians think this number is too high. The actual army was probably closer to 50,000 soldiers. It also had 200 warships and 3,000 transport ships. This army did not have siege weapons to attack city walls.

Carthaginian Soldiers

The main soldiers came from Africa. They were heavy infantry with long spears and round shields. There were also lighter Libyan soldiers with javelins. Spanish soldiers wore colorful tunics and fought in tight groups with javelins and swords. Soldiers from Sardinia and Gaul also joined.

Carthage also had strong cavalry (soldiers on horseback) from Libya and its own citizens. Spanish and Gallic cavalry were also part of the force. Libyans also provided many war chariots pulled by four horses.

Greek Army in Sicily

Gelo and Theron had a well-trained army. Besides their own citizens, they hired mercenaries from other Greek areas and from the local Sicels. Gelo even took a loan from his citizens to pay for the war, showing how serious the situation was. The Syracusan army at Himera is said to have had 50,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 horsemen, though this might also be an exaggeration.

The main Greek soldiers were hoplites (heavily armed foot soldiers). They were joined by hired hoplites. Some citizens also served as peltasts (lightly armed soldiers). Wealthy citizens formed the cavalry. Sicel and Sikan soldiers also fought. Mercenaries provided archers, slingers, and more cavalry.

The Himera Campaign Begins

Hamilcar decided to sail to Panormus, not directly to Akragas. His main goal was probably to put Terillus back in power in Himera. The Carthaginian fleet faced bad storms at sea. They lost the ships carrying their chariots and horses. This was a big problem for them. The Greek fleet, which had 200 ships, did not try to stop the Carthaginians from crossing the sea.

Carthaginian Camps at Himera

Hamilcar spent three days at Panormus getting his forces ready. Then, the Carthaginians marched along the coast to Himera, with their ships sailing alongside. They set up camps near the city. Theron was already in Himera with his army, but the Greeks didn't attack the Carthaginians while they were setting up. Hamilcar's Greek allies, like those from Selinus, did not join the battle.

Himera was built on a hill. The Carthaginians built two camps. One was a "sea camp" by the sea, protected by a fence and a ditch. The main army camp was to the south, on a low hill west of Himera. These two camps were connected by defenses.

Theron's Setback and Gelo's Arrival

It's not clear if Hamilcar planned to build siege weapons or just fight a battle. After the camps were set up, the Carthaginian ships dropped off supplies and then left to get more. Twenty warships patrolled the sea, and the rest were pulled onto the beach inside the sea camp. Himera was not completely surrounded; its east and south sides were open.

Hamilcar led a group of his best men on a scouting mission. They fought the Greeks outside Himera and won. The Greeks blocked the western gates of Himera, and their spirits dropped. Carthaginian soldiers then spread out to gather supplies. Theron sent messages to Gelo, who soon arrived with his army and set up camp across the river. Gelo's cavalry managed to capture many Carthaginian supply gatherers because Hamilcar had no cavalry to stop them. This boosted the morale of the Greeks in Himera, and Gelo ordered the blocked gates to be opened.

The Battle of Himera

There are two main stories about the battle, from ancient historians Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus. They are a bit different. Diodorus gives more details.

Herodotus's Account

Herodotus says the Greek and Carthaginian armies fought all day long, from morning until evening. Hamilcar watched the battle from his camp and offered sacrifices to his god, Baal, in a huge fire. Herodotus doesn't give details about the number of soldiers or how they were arranged. When the Carthaginian army was defeated at dusk, Hamilcar supposedly jumped into the sacrificial fire. His body was never found. The Greeks built a monument where he was thought to have died. Herodotus also noted that people in Sicily believed this battle happened on the same day as the Battle of Salamis.

First Battle of Himera 480 BC. This image shows a general idea of the battle, not exact details.

Diodorus Siculus's Account

Diodorus tells a more detailed story. Gelo's cavalry capturing Carthaginian foragers gave him an idea. Hamilcar had sent a letter to Selinus, asking their cavalry to join him for a sacrifice to Poseidon (a Greek god) on a certain day. Gelo's men intercepted this letter. Gelo planned to have his own cavalry pretend to be the Selinus reinforcements and sneak into the Carthaginian camp. Then, his main army would attack the Carthaginian land camp.

Greeks Attack the Land Camp

Gelo's horsemen left their camp the night before the planned sacrifice. At dawn, they arrived at the Carthaginian sea camp and were let in. Greeks in Himera saw them inside the camp and signaled Gelo. Gelo's army marched around Himera and moved towards the Carthaginian land camp. Theron and his army stayed in Himera for now. The Carthaginian army left their camp and formed up on a hill, making the Greeks fight uphill. The battle was long and fierce, with neither side gaining an advantage at first.

Hamilcar's Death

During the battle, the disguised Greek horsemen killed Hamilcar while he was preparing his sacrifice. Then, they set fire to the Carthaginian ships that were pulled onto the beach. This caused a lot of confusion in the sea camp. Some Carthaginian ships, crowded with soldiers, managed to escape. When news of Hamilcar's death and the burning ships reached the fighting armies, the Greeks pushed harder. They defeated the Carthaginians, who fled back to their camp.

In another version of the story, Gelo ordered one of his captains, Pediarchos, to pretend to be Gelo and offer sacrifices in front of the camp. Pediarchos had archers hidden with him. When Hamilcar came out to offer his own sacrifices, the archers shot him down.

Theron Joins the Fight

Gelo's army stormed the Carthaginian camp, and the Greeks started looting the tents. But the Spanish soldiers in the Carthaginian army regrouped. They attacked the now disorganized Greeks, causing many casualties. The Greeks fought back hard, but the Spanish soldiers were winning.

At this important moment, Theron decided to join the battle. He attacked the Spanish soldiers from the side and behind, inside the camp. He also set fire to tents near them. The Spanish soldiers finally gave up and retreated to the ships that were still floating. Other Carthaginian survivors left the camp and went to a waterless hill inland. They tried to defend themselves there but were eventually forced to surrender.

About half of the Carthaginian army and most of their fleet were destroyed. The Greeks captured many prisoners and a lot of valuable treasure. It's also said that the surviving Carthaginian ships sank in a storm on their way back to Africa.

What Happened After the Battle

After their big victory, Gelo and Theron did not attack Rhegion or the Carthaginian lands in Sicily. Carthage, at first, prepared for a Greek invasion of Africa. But they didn't start fighting again either.

Gelo offered fair terms to the Carthaginian messengers who came to ask for peace. Carthage had to pay a large amount of silver (2,000 talents) and build two monuments to remember Himera. But they didn't lose any land. Selinus and Rhegion also made peace with Syracuse. The situation in Sicily went back to how it was before the battle, with Terillus being the main loser.

Greek culture and trade thrived in Sicily. Gelo, Theron, and Hieron (Gelo's brother) used the slaves and treasures from the battle to build public buildings, like the Temple of Victory. This started a time of great wealth. However, the Greek rulers still fought among themselves, so the peace didn't last forever. Carthage focused on expanding in Africa and left Sicily alone for 70 years.

Himera remained under the control of Akragas until 472 BC. Theron removed the Ionian Greeks from the city after they tried to take over, and he settled Dorian Greeks there. By 466 BC, the Greek cities in Sicily had broken free from the rule of Gelo and Theron's families. Instead of three big Greek power groups, there were now eleven smaller, often arguing, Greek communities by 461 BC. Their conflicts eventually led to the "Second Sicilian War" and the complete destruction of Himera in 409 BC.

Mass Graves Discovered in 2008

In 2008, during the building of a railway near the ancient city of Himera, archaeologists found more than 10,000 burials. Many of these graves held the remains of soldiers from the 5th century BC. Researchers used DNA to find out that some warriors in the second battle were mercenaries who came from as far away as modern-day Ukraine and Latvia.