Syracuse, City of Legends

Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. Syracuse, City of Legends - the first modern historical guide to the city - explores Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and reveals why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends also offers detailed descriptions of the principal monuments from each period in the city's life, explaining their physical location as well as their historical context.This vivid and engaging history weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and will be an invaluable companion for anyone visiting the city as well as a compelling introduction to its ancient and modern history.

Jeremy Dummett read history at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became interested in the history and culture of Italy. His professional career took him to Athens and Milan, where he lived and worked for over twelve years.

Preface
Prologue
Part I: The Story of Syracuse
From Greek city state to modern times
1. Foundation and the Rule of Gelon and Hiero I
2. The Athenian Expedition to Sicily
3. Dionysius I: Tyrant and Warlord
4. Five More Tyrants
5. Hiero II and the Roman Siege
6. Cicero and the Rise of Rome
7. Santa Lucia and the Early Christians
8. Byzantium and the Arab Siege
9. Outline from Ancient to Modern Times
Part II: The Principal Monuments
A commentary
1. The Greek Era
2. The Roman Era
3. The Early Christian Era
4. Baroque Syracuse
5. Other Important Monuments
Epilogue
Appendices
1. Notes
2. Further reading
3. Bibliography
4. Chronological Table
5. Glossary
6. List of illustrations
7. Maps
8. Index