Battle of Chrysas The Battle of Chrysas was a battle fought in 392 BC in the course of the Sicilian Wars , between the Carthaginian army under Mago and a Greek army under Dionysius I , tyrant of Syracuse , who was aided by Agyris , tyrant of the Sicel city of Agyrium . Mago had been defeated by Dionysius at Abacaenum in 393 , which had not damaged the Carthaginian position in Sicily . Reinforced by Carthage in 392 BC , Mago moved to attack the Sicles allied with Syracuse in central Sicily . After the Carthaginians reached and encamped near the River Chrysas , the Sicels harassed the Carthaginian supply lines causing a supply shortage , while the Greek soldiers rebelled and deserted Dionysius when he refused to fight a pitched battle . Both Mago and Dionysius agreed to a peace treaty , which allowed the Carthaginians to formally occupy the area west of the River Halycus , while Dionysius was given lordship over the Sicel lands . The peace would last until 383 , when Dionysius attacked the Carthaginians again . Background . Dionysius attacked the Phoenician city of Motya in 398 BC , igniting the first of four wars he was to lead against Carthage between 398 - 368 BC . After the sack of Motya , Dionysius retired to Syracuse , while Himilco of Carthage arrived in Sicily with 50 , 000 men along with 400 triremes and 600 transports to continue the war . in 397 BC . Himilco first stormed Motya , where the mostly Sicel garrison under Biton was easily overcome , then lifted the siege of Segesta , and Dionysius retired to Syracuse instead of offering battle in Western Sicily against a superior army . Himilco returned to Panormus , garrisoned the Carthaginian territories , and then sailed to Lipara and collected 30 talents of silver as tribute . The Carthaginian force next sailed for Messana and easily captured and sacked the city . Himilco founded the city of Tauromenium and populated it with allied Sicels , then moved south towards Catana . Dionysius moved his forces to Catana also but , due to the rash tactics of his brother Leptines , the Greek fleet was heavily defeated at the naval battle of Catana . Himilco next besieged Syracuse itself in the autumn of 397 BC . After the Carthaginian forces were devastated by a plague , Dionysius managed to decimate the Punic fleet and shut up the army survivors in their camp . Himilco , after bribing Dionysius , fled to Africa with Carthaginian citizens , while Dionysius enslaved the abandoned Carthaginian soldiers . Sicily during 396 - 392 BC . The Sicilian Greek cities which had become tributary to Carthage after 405 BC had all revolted in 398 BC , and along with the Sicels and the Sikans had joined Dionysius in his attack against Motya . After the defeat at Catana the Sicilian Greek soldiers had returned to their respective homes when Dionysius decided to withstand a siege in Syracuse against their wishes . The Sicels had also turned against Dionysius and had sent soldiers to help Himilco during the Carthaginian siege of Syracuse in 397 BC . Carthaginian problems . The return of Himilco after abandoning his troops to the mercy of Dionysius did not sit well with either the Carthaginian citizenry or their African subjects . Himilco publicly took full responsibility for the debacle , dressed in rags visited all the temples of the city pleading for deliverance and finally committed suicide . The divine was not mollified as a plague swept through Africa weakening Carthage further , and to top things off , the Libyans , angered by the desertion of their kinsmen in Sicily , gathered an army numbering 70 , 000 men and besieged Carthage itself . Mago , the victor of Catana , ( and possibly a member of the Magonid family ) took command . The standing Punic army was in Sicily and recruiting a new one would have been time consuming and probably very costly ( Himilco ' s abandonment would have made mercenaries wary ) , so he rallied Carthaginian citizens to man the walls while the Punic navy kept the city supplied , as the Libyans had no ships to counter the Carthaginian fleet . Mago then used bribes and other means to quell the rebels . Mago in Sicily . After securing the safety of Carthage , Mago moved to Sicily , where the Punic city of Solus had been sacked by Dionysius sometime in 396 BC . Carthage was unwilling or unable to provide Mago with additional forces , and he had to make do with the Punic garrison left by Himilco and whatever forces he could gather in Sicily . The Carthaginians caught a break when Dionysius chose not to invade the Punic territories in Western Sicily immediately lifting the siege of Syracuse . The Elymian s had stayed loyal to Carthage since the start of the war , while the Sicilian Greeks and Sikans were not threatening and most of the Sicels were not hostile when Mago arrived in Sicily . Instead of trying to recover the lost Punic conquests through force , Mago adopted a policy of cooperation and friendship , giving aid to Greeks , Sikans , Sicels , Elymians and Punics regardless of their prior standing with Carthage . Many of the Greeks had been victims of the duplicity and aggression of Dionysius ( he had destroyed Greek cities Naxos , Leontini and Catana and driven out the population ) and even preferred to live under Punic rule . The Carthaginians allowed Greeks from Naxos , Catana and Leontini , made refugees by Dionysius , along with Sicels and Sikans to settle in Punic territory , while alliances were made with Sicel tribes being threatened by Dionysius . The Greeks cities , free of Carthaginian over lordship since 398 BC , now moved from a pro Syracuse position to a neutral one , either feeling threatened by Dionysius or because of the activities of Mago . Mago was forced to take up arms after Dionysius attacked Tauromenium in 394 BC , a Carthaginian alley . Syracuse : Dionysius secures position . Dionysius did not immediately attack Punic Sicily after lifting the siege of Syracuse in 396 BC , although no formal treaty had been made ending the war with Carthage . The war had been costly and he may have been short of money , he also had to deal with a revolt of his mercenaries , and furthermore , he feared a fight to the finish with Carthage as it might end up finishing him . After securing Syracuse and resettling the rebellious mercenaries at Leontini ( or having them killed after taking them to Leontini in the pretext of handing the town to them ) , Dionysius began to secure his position in Eastern Sicily . Resettlement of Greeks in north Sicily . The destruction of Messana had left Rhegion , a Greek city hostile to Dionysius , in a position to dominate the Strait of Messina , and Carthage with an opportunity to join hands with Rhegion and threaten Syracuse from the north . Dionysius first rebuilt and repopulated Messina with colonists from Locri and Medma from Italy and some from Messene , who were later relocated to Tyndaris when Sparta objected to settling the Messenians in Messana . The original inhabitants of Messana , homeless since the sack of their city in 397 BC , were settled at Tyndaris , another city built by Dionysius after he forced the Sicel city of Abacaenum to cede lands to the new colony . The founding of Messana and Tyndaris helped secure the north eastern coast of Sicily for Dionysius . Rhegion , fearing Dionysius might use Messana as a base against them planted Mylae between Messana and Tyndaris and populated the city with the refugees of Naxos and Catana , however , in 394 BC the Messanians defeated a Rhegion attack on Messana and took Mylae . Sicel Campaigns . After settling Messana Dionysius attacked the Sicels and took Smeneous ( exact location unknown ) and Morgantina , around which the Punic city Solus and Sicel city Cephaloedium was betrayed to him , the Sicel town of Enna was sacked and the booty fattened his coffers . Syracusan territory by now had expanded to border Agyrium . Sicel allies . Agyris , tyrant of Agyrium was a ruthless man , having become rich after killing the leading citizens of Agyrium , commanded 20 , 000 citizens and many fortresses and was second only to Dionysius in Sicily . Furthermore , Agyris had aided the Campanian mercenaries sent by Carthage to rescued Dionysius in 403 BC ( when the Greek rebels had him besieged in Syracuse and he was close to capitulating ) , so Dionysius had a personal debt to consider . Dionysius chose not to provoke Agyris or Damon , ruler of Centuripae but made alliances with the Sicel cities of Agyrium , Centuripae , Herbita , Assorus ( this city had stayed loyal to Syracuse after other Sicels had deserted to Himilco when Tauromenium was founded in 397 BC ) and Herbessus . creating a buffer zone for Syracuse in central Sicily . Dionysius next besieged Tauromenium in the winter , but was forced lift the siege after his night assault failed . Dionysius next attacked Rehgion , but his attack failed , and he returned to Sicily after concluding a treaty with Rhegion to prevent their joining Carthage . Mago moves in 393 BC . It normally took Carthage some time to organize armies so Mago did not await reinforcements from Africa to arrive . He gathered together whatever forces he could in Sicily and set out for Messana , which had deposed out the partisans of Dionysius after his debacle at Tauronemium . Dionysius managed to intercept Mago near Abacaenum and the Carthaginians were heavily defeated , losing 8 , 000 soldiers . The defeat did not weaken the Carthagnian position in Sicily . Carthage reinforced Mago , and the stage was set for another confrontation . Opposing forces . Himilco had brought 50 , 000 men along with 400 triremes and 600 transports to Sicily in 397 BC . The majority of this army had been destroyed at Syracuse , and the size of the force Mago commanded at Abacaenum is not known except that it had shrunk by a further 8 , 000 men after the battle . Carthage sent an army of 80 , 000 soldiers to Sicily , recruited from AfricSardinia and Campania . No Iberian recruits are mentioned , perhaps the presence of Iberians at Leontini and in the army of Syracuse had made Carthage wary of hiring them . Carthaginian troop numbers may have been exaggerated by a factor of two , but it is likely Mago ' s force outnumbered the Greeks . Dionysius had mustered an army of 40 , 000 foot and 3 , 000 horsemen , from both citizens and mercenaries ( at least 10 , 000 , if not more ) for attacking Motya in 398 BC , perhaps along with 40 , 000 Greek , Sicel and Sikan volunteers . At Catana in 397 BC Dionysius commanded 30 , 000 foot and 3 , 000 horse , perhaps he was short of cash to hire mercenaries and part of his forces were manning Syracuse . In 392 BC Dionysius organized an army of 20 , 000 men , perhaps garrison duty and cash shortage prevented assembling of a larger contingent . The Sicels mustered an army of 20 , 000 troops to support Syracuse . Carthaginian cohorts . The Libyans supplied both heavy and light infantry and formed the most disciplined units of the army . The heavy infantry fought in close formation , armed with long spears and round shields , wearing helmets and linen cuirasses . The light Libyan infantry carried javelins and a small shield , same as Iberian light infantry . Campanian , Sardinian , Sicel and Gallic infantry fought in their native gear , but often were equipped by Carthage . Sicels and other Sicilians were equipped like Greek Hoplites , as were the Sicilian Greek mercenaries . Mago ' s force had no Iberian soldiers . 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 , and there is no mention of war chariots being present in Mago ' s army . The Carthaginian officer corps held overall command of the army , although many units may have fought under their chieftains . Greek forces . 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 . Dionysius also had the services of a number of Iberian troops , former members of Himilco ' s army . 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 . Campaign of 392 BC . Carthage had launched 3 major campaigns in Sicily in 409 , 406 and 397 BC and the Punic navy had played a major role in combat , transport and logistical roles , as all 3 campaigns had progressed along the coast of Sicily . There is no mention of Carthage mobilizing a naval contingent to serve in Sicily in 392 BC , so Mago probably chose an inland route to take on Syracuse . The Carthaginians probably intended to deal with the Sicels allied with Dionysius and not launch a direct attack on Syracuse . The exact route of Mago ' s march is not known , except that many Sicel cities formally under Dionysius broke away and declared for Carthage . Mago faced little problems until he reached the territory of Agyris near the River Chrysas . Stalemate . The Carthaginian army was probably dependent on supplies from their strongholds and allies , being inland the Punic fleet could not have supplied them . Mago marched in the territory of Agyris , but failed to persuade him to switch sides . The Carthaginians then moved to intercept the Greek army , but Dionysius , heavily outnumbered , fell back and luered the Carthaginians away from Agryium . " Fabian strategy " . Hamilcar Barca during the first Punic war and Quintus Fabius Maximus during the second had adopt a strategy on encamping near their enemy and constantly skirmishing without engaging in pitched battle . Successive Carthaginian commanders faced similar tactics from the Greeks during their campaign in 406 BC , when the Greeks harassed the Punic supply lines and brought them close to disaster . Dionysius now adopted the same strategy . He encamped with his army but refused battle , while the Carthaginians camped nearby , the Sicels were employed to do the harassment . Agyris lends aid . Dionysius personally visited Agyris and secured his cooperation after promising him extensive territories and to supply whatever he needed in future . Agyris sent supplies of corn and other essentials to the Greek camp , then joined Dionysius with his whole army . The Carthaginian army outnumbered the combined armies of Syracuse and Agryium , so the Greeks sat tight while the Sicels began to harass the Punic supply train and foragers . Constant ambushes and skirmishing followed , and the Sicels , operating in their home ground , got the better of things and soon the Carthaginians faced a supply shortage . However , Fabian strategy is time consuming and that in itself can create fatal drawbacks , as Fabius and Hamilcar would discover in the future and Dionysius discovered at Chrysas . Dionysius deserted . Greek commanders had put the Carthaginians in similar situations at Akragas and Gela only to have their schemes scuttled by other factors . Like the plague that derailed Carthaginians campaigns in Sicily , Dionysius often was beset by mutiny and desertion . Sicilian Greeks left his army after his retreat from Gela in 405 BC and from Catana in 397 . Syracusan soldiers had mutinied in 405 and 403 BC and almost toppled him , his mercenaries mutinied after his victory at Syracuse in 396 BC . While mercenaries fought as long they got paid , Greek citizen soldiers liked short campaigns . When Dionysius refused to heed their call for battle and decided to persist with the guerrilla tactics , the Syracusans simply left his camp and went home . Mutual discomfort and peace . Dionysius made up his depleted numbers by freeing the slaves of the departed Greeks and arming them , but his army had shrunk both in numbers and fighting quality . It is not known if Mago got wind of his predicament or why he took no action . Dionysius had to cope with the possibility of a Carthaginian attack and also possible betrayal by the Sicels , victims of many a Greek scheme in the past . Mago had 3 options : sue for peace , retreat or fight a pitched battle . With both parties seeking a way out of their predicaments without battle , peace negotiations were opened and concluded . Reworking the 405 BC treaty . Himilco and Dionysius had concluded a peace treaty in 405 BC after the Carthaginians had sacked Akragas , Gela and Camarina , with only the plague stopping them from attacking Syracuse . The terms of that treaty were : The Sicilian political situation in 392 BC had changed considerably . Carthage was in control of Phoenicians , Sikans and Elymians , but the triburary Greeks cities had become independent of Carthaginian control . Dionysius had occupied Leontini while Messene was allied with Syracuse . The Sicels were divided , some were under Greek occupation or allied with Dionysius , while others , especially Tauromenium , was allied with Carthage . Dionysius and Mago agreed to terms , which are not clearly known but which reflected the ground reality : Reasons for peace . Although both Mago and Dionysius were in a jam at Chrysas , it was probably possible for them to disengage and continue the war . However , the following factors may have influenced their agreeing to the peace pact : Aftermath . Mago sailed back to Carthage after the treaty and the Carthaginian army was disbanded . Carthage launched no wars in the Mediterranean . Dionysius took bloodless possession of Tauromenium in 391 BC and replaced the Sicel population with his mercenaries . If Dionysius compensated Agyris for his crucial services , the details are not known . The Syracusan rebels joined Dionysius before the treaty was signed and he promptly returned the freed slaves to their masters . After settling his affairs in Sicily , Dionysius began a campaign against Rhegion in 390 BC . He failed to take the city in 390 and 389 BC and finally succeeded in 387 BC . 3 years later , again he started a war with Carthage that lasted until 375 BC and ended in his defeat at the Battle of Cronium .