Livy’s description of the volones as faithful and hardworking soldiers has a contrast: the manumission of slaves in Achradina, in Sicily.
In 214 BCE, much of the fighting in Second Carthaginian War took place on Sicily rather than on the Italian mainland. This fighting was complicated because the young king/tyrant Hieronymous of Syracuse had been assassinated that year. The backlash against his rule was intense: an assembly of Syracusans voted to kill all members of his family (Livy 24.25). Hieronymous’ father Hiero had been an ally of Rome, but during Hieronymous’ brief reign of one year, he shifted Syracuse’s alliance to Carthage. In the chaos after his death, not only were the Syracusans struggling for control of the city and the surrounding area, but they were also effecting and being impacted by the larger war between Rome and Carthage.
Two of the main characters of this Syracuse drama are Hippocrates and Epicydes. Both were powerful men under Hieronymous’ reign and struggled to maintain their power. According to Livy Hippocrates went so far as to kill the initial messenger declaring Hieronymous’ death (24.23). They also continuously pushed for Syracuse to align with Carthage, an aspect that means that we should be suspicious of any dirt that Livy throws on them.
One thing that is clear is that the men are survivors. According to Livy, the Syracusans began to regret their decision to kill all of Hieronymous’ family. Livy includes a nice scene of the death of Heraclia, Hieronymous’ sister, that is brimming with bathos (24.26). The Syracusans blame their recklessness on Adranodorus, the man who up until that point most seem likely to emerge as the leader after Hieronymous. The Syracusan assembly then votes for new leaders, and decide on Hippocrates and Epicydes. Livy blames this decision on how “The gathering was, in fact, made up of diverse elements, comprising not only of citizens but soldiers as well, many of them deserts with an agenda for radical change” (24.27 trans. Yardley). I think that Livy means that these are Roman deserters from the battle of Cannae, whom Livy describes as being in Sicily (25.6-7).
Livy basically accuses Hippocrates and Epicydes of doing a similar stunt when they take over Achradina and attempt to give the illusion of a mandate from the people for their new government: “The next day salves were invited to assume the cap of freedom, and convicts were released from prison. This motley crowd of people unanimously elected Hippocrates and Epicydes praetors, and after a fleeting gleam of liberty Syracuse had relapsed into its servitude of old” (24.32).
In 214 BCE, much of the fighting in Second Carthaginian War took place on Sicily rather than on the Italian mainland. This fighting was complicated because the young king/tyrant Hieronymous of Syracuse had been assassinated that year. The backlash against his rule was intense: an assembly of Syracusans voted to kill all members of his family (Livy 24.25). Hieronymous’ father Hiero had been an ally of Rome, but during Hieronymous’ brief reign of one year, he shifted Syracuse’s alliance to Carthage. In the chaos after his death, not only were the Syracusans struggling for control of the city and the surrounding area, but they were also effecting and being impacted by the larger war between Rome and Carthage.
Two of the main characters of this Syracuse drama are Hippocrates and Epicydes. Both were powerful men under Hieronymous’ reign and struggled to maintain their power. According to Livy Hippocrates went so far as to kill the initial messenger declaring Hieronymous’ death (24.23). They also continuously pushed for Syracuse to align with Carthage, an aspect that means that we should be suspicious of any dirt that Livy throws on them.
One thing that is clear is that the men are survivors. According to Livy, the Syracusans began to regret their decision to kill all of Hieronymous’ family. Livy includes a nice scene of the death of Heraclia, Hieronymous’ sister, that is brimming with bathos (24.26). The Syracusans blame their recklessness on Adranodorus, the man who up until that point most seem likely to emerge as the leader after Hieronymous. The Syracusan assembly then votes for new leaders, and decide on Hippocrates and Epicydes. Livy blames this decision on how “The gathering was, in fact, made up of diverse elements, comprising not only of citizens but soldiers as well, many of them deserts with an agenda for radical change” (24.27 trans. Yardley). I think that Livy means that these are Roman deserters from the battle of Cannae, whom Livy describes as being in Sicily (25.6-7).
Livy basically accuses Hippocrates and Epicydes of doing a similar stunt when they take over Achradina and attempt to give the illusion of a mandate from the people for their new government: “The next day salves were invited to assume the cap of freedom, and convicts were released from prison. This motley crowd of people unanimously elected Hippocrates and Epicydes praetors, and after a fleeting gleam of liberty Syracuse had relapsed into its servitude of old” (24.32).