Battle of Gela ( 405 BC ) The Battle of Gela took place in the summer of 405 BC in Sicily . The Carthaginian army under Himilco ( a member of the Magonid family and kinsman of Hannibal Mago ) , which had spent the winter and spring in the captured city of Akragas , marched to confront the Greeks at Gela . The Syracuse government had deposed Daphnaeus , the unsuccessful general of the Greek army at Akragas , with Dionysius , another officer who had been a follower of Hermocrates . Dionysius schemed and gained full dictatorial powers . When the Carthaginians advanced on Gela and put the town under siege , Dionysius marched from Syracuse to confront the threat . He planned to use a complex three prong attack plan against the Carthaginians , which failed due to lack of proper coordination . Dionysius chose to evacuate Gela , as the defeat caused discontent in Syracuse and he did not wish to lose his power . Himilco sacked the abandoned city after the Greeks had fled to Camarina . Background . Carthage had stayed away from Sicilian affairs for almost 70 years following the defeat at Himera in 480 BC , during which time Greek culture had started to penetrate the Elymian , Sikanian and Sicel cities in Sicily . This all changed in 411 BC when the Elymian city Segesta was defeated by the Dorian Greek city Selinus . Segesta appealed to Carthage for aid , and the Carthaginian Senate agreed to intervene on behalf of Segesta . Hannibal Mago of Carthage led an army which took the city of Selinus by storm in 409 BC and then also destroyed the city of Himera . Syracuse and Akragas , the leading Greek cities in Sicily did not confront Carthage at that time and the Carthaginian army withdrew with the spoils of war . For 3 years , a lull fell on Sicily . No treaties had been signed between the Greeks and Carthaginians signaling a closure of hostilities . The expedition of 406 BC . The raids of the exiled Syracusan general , Hermocrates , on Punic territory around Motya and Panormus provoked Carthage into sending another army to Sicily in 406 BC under Hannibal Mago . The leading Greek cities of Sicily , Syracuse and Akragas , had prepared for the conflict by hiring mercenaries and expanding the fleet , along with keeping the city walls in good repair . Although Syracuse was involved in the Peloponnesian War and with disputes with her neighbors , their government sent an appeal for support to Magna Graecia and mainland Greece once the Carthaginians landed in Sicily . Hannibal besieged Akragas in the summer of 406 BC , which withstood the initial assault . While building siege ramps for future attacks the army was struck by plague and Hannibal along with thousands of Carthaginians perished . Part of the Carthaginian army under Himilco , Hannibal ’ s kinsmen and deputy , was defeated by the Greek relief army led by Daphnaeus , and the city was relieved . The Akragans were not happy with the decision of the generals ( who refrained from chasing the defeated Carthaginians ) and has 4 of them stoned to death . The Greeks then cut supplies to the Carthaginian camp and almost caused a mutiny in the Punic army . Himilco saved the situation by managing to defeat the Syracusan fleet and capturing the grain convoy bound for Akragas . The Greeks , faced with starvation , abandoned Akragas , which was sacked by Himilco . The siege had lasted for 8 months . A tyrant rises . The homeless people from Akragas arrived at Syracuse and some made accusations against the Syracusan generals . In the assembly , Dionysius , who had fought bravely at Akragas , supported these accusations . He was fined for breaking meeting rules , but his friend Philistos paid the fine . The assembly deposed Daphnaeus and the other generals and appointed replacements , Dionysius among them . The Akragan refugees ultimately found shelter in Leontini . An appeal from Gela then reached Syracuse to send aid , as the Carthaginians were approaching that city . Dionysius started scheming to expand his power . He got the government to recall political exiles ( former followers of Hermocrates ) , and then marched to Gela , which was under the command of the Spartan Dexippus . Dionysius dabbled in the political feud of Gela and managed to condemn their generals to death . He gave his soldier double pay from the confiscated property of the dead generals , then returned to Syracuse to accuse his fellow generals of taking bribes from Carthage . The Syracusan government deposed the others and made Dionysius sole commander . Dionysius marched to Leontini , held an assembly , and after some stage manned theratics , promptly got the people to give him a bodyguard of 600 men , which he increased to 1 , 000 . Then he sent Dexippus away and had Daphnaeus and other Syracusan generals executed . The tyranny of Dionysius ( 405 – 367 BC ) had begun . Opposing forces . Hannibal Mago had brought together and army recruited from Carthaginian citizens , Africa , Spain and Italy , and a fleet of 120 triremes to Sicily . The army had been reduced by plague and casualties at Akragas and in is not known if Himilco had received any reinforcements or recruits while he wintered at Akragas . The original forces may have numbered around 60 , 000 men , and the survivors marched to Gela in the spring of 405 BC . The Carthaginian fleet , which numbered around 105 ships after losing 15 triremes at Eryx to the Greeks fleet under Leptines , was at Motya and did not accompany the army . Carthaginian cohorts . The Libyans supplied both heavy and light infantry and formed the most disciplined units of the army . African heavy infantry fought in close formation , armed with long spears and round shields , wearing helmets and linen cuirasses . Light Libyan infantry carried javelins and a small shield , same as the Iberian light infantry . The Iberian infantry wore purple bordered white tunics and leather headgear . The Heavy infantry fought in a dense phalanx , armed with heavy throwing spears , long body shields and short thrusting swords . Campanian ( probably equipped like Samnite or Etruscan warriors ) , Sicel , Sardinian and Gallic infantry fought in their native gear , but often were equipped by Carthage . Sicels and other Sicilians were equipped like Greek Hoplites . The Libyans , Carthaginian citizens and the Libyo - Phoenicians provided disciplined , well trained cavalry equipped with thrusting spears and round shields . Numidia provided superb light cavalry armed with bundles of javelins and riding without bridle or saddle . Iberians and Gauls also provided cavalry , which relied on the all out charge . Carthage at this time did not use elephants , but Libyans provided bulk of the heavy , four horse war chariots for Carthage , which is not mentioned being present at Gela . Carthaginian officer corps held overall command of the army , although many units may have fought under their chieftains . The Punic navy was built around the trireme , Carthaginian citizens usually served alongside recruits from Libya and other Carthaginian domains . Greek forces . Large Sicilian cities like Syracuse and Akragas could field up to 10 , 000 – 20 , 000 citizens , while smaller ones like Himera and Messana mustered between 3 , 000 – 6 , 000 soldiers . Gela probably could field a similar numbers . Dionysius brought 30 , 000 foot and 1 , 000 horsemen , recruited from Syracuse , allied Sicilian Greek cities , and mercenaries along with 50 triremes to Gela in 405 BC . The mainstay of the Greek army was the Hoplite , drawn mainly from the citizens by Dionysius had a large number of mercenaries from Italy and Greece as well . Sicels and other native Sicilians also served in the army as hoplites and also supplied peltasts , and a number of Campanians , probably equipped like Samnite or Etruscan warriors , were present as well . The Phalanx was the standard fighting formation of the army . The cavalry was recruited from wealthier citizens and hired mercenaries They were augmented by mercenary hoplites hired from Sicily and Italy , and even mainland Greece . Some of the citizens also served as peltast s while the wealthier citizens formed the cavalry units . Sicels and Sikan soldiers also served in the force . Mercenaries provided archers , slingers and cavalry . Gela under threat . While Dionysius was busy with scheming his way to absolute power , the Carthaginian army had left their winter base at Akragas after destroying the city . Himilco marched along the coast to Gela , and set up camp near the sea on the west of the city , fortifying it with a trench and a palisade . The Carthaginians spent some time plundering the countryside and gathering provisions prior to commencing siege operations . The Gelans had proposed removing their Women and Children to Syracuse , but the women insisted on staying put . Finally no one was forced to evacuate the city , and the Greeks kept up an active defense by harassing the Carthaginian foragers . Assault on Gela . Himilco resolved on storming the city before any help arrived . The Carthaginians did not bother to build circumventing walls around Gela , they decided on direct assault . Despite Gelan resistance , the Carthaginians managed to move battering rams on the western walls of the city and make some breaches in them . However , the defenders managed to keep the attackers at bay all days and repaired the walls at night . Help of the women in repairing the walls was invaluable . The Carthaginians had to start from the beginning the following morning . The siege relieved . Apart from his political machinations , Dionysius had managed to make ready an army made of Italian and Sicilian Greeks and mercenaries , numbering at least 30 , 000 hoplite s and 4 , 000 cavalry and a fleet of 50 trireme s , and had marched at a slow pace to Gela . The arrival of this army lifted the Punic siege for the time being . The Greeks encamped at the mouth of River Gela on the western bank beside the city opposite the Carthaginian camp , close enough to the sea to direct both land and naval operations . Prelude to battle . For three weeks Dionysius harassed the Carthaginians with light troops and cut off their supplies using his fleet . These tactics had almost brought disaster for the Carthaginians at Akragas , but it is likely that Dionysius chose to fight a pitched battle after three weeks because of the mood of his soldiers against a war of attrition . The Carthaginian army probably outnumbered the combined Greek force and Dionysius resolved to use stratagem to neutralize this enemy advantage . Pulling a Cannae on Carthage . 189 years after the events at Gela , Hannibal Barca destroyed a large Roman army near a Roman supply depot in Apulia using perhaps the best known example of the Double envelopement maneuver . Dionysius almost pulled one off on the Carthaginains at Gela in 405 BC , but given the difference in the circumstances that existed at Cannae and Gela , the battle plan of Hannibal and Dionysius varied ; and like Hannibal ’ s brother Hasdrubal Barca found at the Battle of Dertosa in 215 BC , a field commander needs a certain amount of luck along with skilled subordinates and disciplined soldiers to pull coordinate the complexities of the maneuver correctly . The Greek battle plan . The Carthaginians were camped to the west of Gela and Dionysius planned a three pronged attack on it . The plan called for a three pronged attack that had to follow a precise timetable . The Carthaginian cavalry was posted on the landward side while the mercenaries were on the seaward side , with the Africans in between inside the camp . Dionysius , observing that a sea borne force could attack the camp from the south , where it was open and lightly defended , The plan called for a three pronged attack that had to follow a precise timetable . The Carthaginian cavalry was posted on the landward side while the mercenaries were on the seaward side , with the Africans in between . Dionysius , observing that a sea borne force could attack the camp from the south , where it was open , decided on the following course : Difference with Hannibal ’ s plan at Cannae . The armies and terrain , as well as the circumstances at Cannae differed greatly from those at Gela and the battle plans of Hannibal and Dionysius reflect those fact : The battle . The plan depended on precise coordination between the three Greek detachments , or risked a defeat in detail for the Greeks . As things turned out , coordination was horrible : the sea - borne troops under Leptines achieved total surprise and together with the hoplites attacking along the coast broke into the Carthaginian Camp . While this group fought with the Campanians and Iberians , the northern group was slow in arriving and did not launche their attack in time . This gave the Carthaginians time to first defeat the Greeks attacking in the south , where Leptines lost 1 , 000 men before giving way . The Carthaginians gave chase to the retreating Greeks , Greek ships poured missiles on the advancing Carthaginains , which aided the fleeing Greeks to reach Gela safely . Some of the Glan soldiers aided the Greeks , but most held back because they feared to leave the city walls undefended . The northern Greek detachment meanwhile had attacked the camp , and had driven back the Africans , who had come out to oppose them , inside the camp . Ath this juncture Himilco and the Carthaginian citizens counterattacked , and the Campanians and Iberians also came up , routing the northern prong of the attack , with the loss of another 600 Greeks . The force under Dionysius got entangled in the narrow streets of the city amid the population and never attacked . The Greek cavalry was never engaged and the Carthaginians chased the Greeks back to the city . After the fighting ceased , Himilco had won the day . While the Greek army was far from beaten , its morale had suffered and Dionysius faced political unrest in Syracuse . The army may have been unwilling to resume the harassing campaign , and if the Greeks garrisoned Gela and was bottled up by the Carthaginians , political enemies of Dionysius might take the chance to stage a coup in Syracuse . Dionysius chose to evacuate Gela , and requested a truce to bury the dead . He slipped out that very night with the entire army and population , leaving the battle dead unburied . A group of 2 , 000 light troops stayed behind , where they lit large campfires to dupe the Carthaginians into thinking the Greeks were staying put . In early morning this troop also marched for Gela . The Carthaginians entered and sacked the near empty city the following day . Aftermath . Dionysius led the army to Camarina , where he ordered the population to leave town . The strategic problem for Dionysius had not changed , getting stuck in a siege at Camarina might still mean risking political disaster in Syracuse . The march to Syracuse was slow , and suspicion arose among the Syracusan citizens that Dionysius might be in league with Himilco , and a coup attempt was launched . The spoils of Gela included a famous statue of Apollo , which was sent to Tyre . Syracuse discontent . Some of the cavalry , made up of rich former oligarchs , rode in haste to Syracuse and tried to take control of the city . Their attempt was clumsy , as Dionysius arriving at Syracuse found the gates shut but unguarded . He burnt down the gate and killed most of the rebels , while some of them managed to get way and seize the Sicel town on Aetna . The refugees of Gela and Camarina , distrustful of Dionysius , joined the Akragan refugees at Leontini . The position of Dionysius was hardly secure , as Himilco and his army , after taking and sacking Camarina , were marching for Syracuse . Peace of 405 BC . Instead of a Carthaginian assault on Syracuse , a peace treaty was signed between the belligerents in 405 BC . Reasons for the treaty are speculated as : This is highly probable based on the future events in the career of Dionysius . The terms of the treaty were : The Carthaginian army and fleet left Sicily after the treaty . The plague was carried back to Africa , where it ravaged Carthage . Himilco was elected as “ king ” by 398 BC . He would lead the Carthaginian response to the activities of Dionysius in 398 BC . The treaty was to last until 404 BC when Dionysius started a war against the Sicels . As Carthage took no action , Dionysius increased his power and domain in Sicily and finally in 398 BC launched a war against the Carthaginians by attacking Motya .