Moderate conservative, patriot and “man of complete integrity and high principles”, “member of the most extremist faction of the oligarchs”, “demagogue and failed tyrant”, “individual of such despotic inclinations” …The variety of modern interpretations says a lot about the complexity of the traditions concerning Hermokrates and, at the same time, about the singularity of his personality and figure. Even more than for other historical characters, the at times distorting lens – that of Thucydides, positively or negatively, no less than that of Timaeus – through which we have looked at Hermocrates since ancient times, makes it difficult to identify his true face, and fully grasp the evolution of his political role. Learned, intelligent, capable of interpreting the evolution of events, Hermocrates represents not only one of the most important protagonists of Sicilian history but also, for the breadth of his vision, a pivotal character in an era of transition. His figure stands out significantly for his ambition to claim a broader political role for Syracuse for which he dreamed not only of a hegemonic position in Sicily, like the one covered in the motherland by Athens and Sparta, but also a more significant involvement in the Hellenic political scenario. Such ambition would explain the irreducible firmness in the confrontation with Athens, which leads Hermokrates not only to seek the total annihilation of the Athenian forces in Sicily, but also to push Syracuse to carry on the fight with its own fleet in the Aegean waters. This vision also explains his conduct at the head of a personal army in the western cusp of Sicily, which aimed at restoring to the Sicilian Greeks the territories devasted by the violent attacks of the Carthaginians. Regardless of the ‘aristocratic’ or ‘tyrannical’ interpretation of his character, Hermocrates can thus be seen, to some extent, as a forerunner of those politics, looking beyond the microcosm of the poleis, that would characterize the Hellenistic age.
Ermocrate. Siceliota, stratego, esule
Maria Intrieri
2020-01-01
Abstract
Moderate conservative, patriot and “man of complete integrity and high principles”, “member of the most extremist faction of the oligarchs”, “demagogue and failed tyrant”, “individual of such despotic inclinations” …The variety of modern interpretations says a lot about the complexity of the traditions concerning Hermokrates and, at the same time, about the singularity of his personality and figure. Even more than for other historical characters, the at times distorting lens – that of Thucydides, positively or negatively, no less than that of Timaeus – through which we have looked at Hermocrates since ancient times, makes it difficult to identify his true face, and fully grasp the evolution of his political role. Learned, intelligent, capable of interpreting the evolution of events, Hermocrates represents not only one of the most important protagonists of Sicilian history but also, for the breadth of his vision, a pivotal character in an era of transition. His figure stands out significantly for his ambition to claim a broader political role for Syracuse for which he dreamed not only of a hegemonic position in Sicily, like the one covered in the motherland by Athens and Sparta, but also a more significant involvement in the Hellenic political scenario. Such ambition would explain the irreducible firmness in the confrontation with Athens, which leads Hermokrates not only to seek the total annihilation of the Athenian forces in Sicily, but also to push Syracuse to carry on the fight with its own fleet in the Aegean waters. This vision also explains his conduct at the head of a personal army in the western cusp of Sicily, which aimed at restoring to the Sicilian Greeks the territories devasted by the violent attacks of the Carthaginians. Regardless of the ‘aristocratic’ or ‘tyrannical’ interpretation of his character, Hermocrates can thus be seen, to some extent, as a forerunner of those politics, looking beyond the microcosm of the poleis, that would characterize the Hellenistic age.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
