Dionysius the Elder's failed siege of Segesta shifted the Second Sicilian War's theater to eastern Sicily, sparing western cities decades of further conflict.
Key Facts
- Dates of siege
- Summer 398 BC or spring 397 BC
- Besieging commander
- Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse
- Defending force
- Elymian forces based in Segesta
- Notable Elymian tactic
- Daring night assault on the Greek camp
- Outcome
- Greek forces withdrew; siege unsuccessful
- Subsequent peace for western Sicily
- Spared major warfare until 368 BC
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After securing peace with Carthage in 405 BC, Dionysius the Elder built up Syracuse's military strength, raising mercenary armies, a large fleet, and pioneering the use of catapults and quinqueremes. In 398 BC he launched an offensive against Phoenician and Carthaginian-allied cities in western Sicily, simultaneously besieging Motya and Segesta as part of his effort to dominate the island.
Dionysius besieged Segesta twice—first while Motya was under assault, and again after Motya's sack—but both attempts failed. The Elymian defenders repelled Greek forces with a bold night attack on their camp. When the Carthaginian general Himilco II arrived in Sicily with a relief army in spring 397 BC, Dionysius abandoned the siege and withdrew to Syracuse.
The failure to capture Segesta denied Dionysius a strategic foothold in western Sicily. As a result, the principal fighting of the Second Sicilian War shifted to eastern Sicily, leaving the Elymian and Phoenician cities of the west relatively free from large-scale warfare until 368 BC.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Dionysius the Elder.
Side B
2 belligerents
Himilco II of Carthage.