Agathocles

Born 361 or 360 B.C.; died 289 B.C. Tyrant of Syracuse from 317 (or 316). A potter as a youth, he subsequently advanced as a talented military leader. With the support of mercenaries and impoverished citizens, he overthrew the oligarchy and came to power. By 313 B.C. he had conquered almost all the Greek cities in Sicily. From 312 to 306, he waged war with varying success against Carthage for control of Sicily and concluded by maintaining the status quo. In approximately 300–289, he fought with the Bruttii in southern Italy. In 299 he conquered the island of Corfu. The reign of Agathocles was the time of greatest military power and cultural development for the Syracuse state, which began to decline after his death.