Sicani

according to ancient tradition, one of the oldest tribes on the island of Sicily.

At first the Sicani inhabited all of Sicily; hence the island’s original name of Sicania. In the 13th century B.C.. they were gradually displaced by the Siculi to the southwestern part of the island. From the seventh through fourth centuriesB.C.. the Sicani were under the hegemony of Carthage and Greece; as a result of Greek influence they gradually became hellenized.

The origin of the Sicani is not known; Thucydides called them Iberians, but Timaeus considered them indigenous to Sicily. Toponymic findings confirm that the Sicani and the Iberians belong to the same language group.