Gelo Gelo ( or Gelon , died 478 BC , Greek : " Γέλων " ; gen : Γέλωνος ) , son of Deinomenes , was a 5th - century BC ruler of Gela and Syracuse and first of the Deinomenid rulers . Early life . Gelo was the son of Deinomenes . His ancestors according to Herodotus came from the island of Telos in the Aegean Sea and were the founders of the city of Gela in southern Sicily . One of his relatives , Telines , was said to have reconciled his people after a period of civil strife through the divine rites of the Earth Goddesses , and all his descendents continued a tradition of priesthood in the cult of these goddesses , which included Demeter . Gelo was in all likelihood a priest of this cult . His three brothers were Hieron , Thrasybulus , and Polyzelos . Deinomenes consulted an oracle about the fates of his children , and was told that Gelo , Hieron and Thrasybulus were all destined to become tyrant s . Gelo fought in a number of the conflicts between the various tyrant kings of Sicily and earned a reputation as a formidable soldier . His performance was so impressive that he was promoted to be commander of the cavalry for Hippocrates , tyrant of Gela . From this position he played a key role in a number of battles , including one against Syracuse , a city which he himself would later conquer . Rise to Power . But it was not until Hippocrates was killed in a battle with the native Sicel tribe of Sicily at Hybla that Gelo ’ s rise to power began . Upon Hippocrates ’ death his sons retained the throne , but the common people were tired of this family ’ s rule and revolted . Gelo quelled the revolt on the pretext of helping Hippocrates ’ sons gain power . Instead , he took power for himself with the help of the army in 491 BC . The territory now under his control as tyrant included that of Gela , Naxos in the east , Zancle in the northeast , and Camarina in the south . Tyrant of Syracuse . Gelo ruled over Gela and his other territories in eastern Sicily peacefully for the next five years . In 485 BC , the aristocracy of Syracuse called the Gamori , who had been forced out of the city by the common people , came to Gelo seeking his aid . Seeing an opportunity for expansion , Gelo used his now large military force to capture the city of Syracuse with little or no resistance , reinstating the exiled Gamori . Gelo now ruled as the new tyrant of Syracuse and left his brother Hiero to rule over Gela . According to Herodotus , he forced half the citizens of Gela to move to Syracuse . Similarly , he removed all the aristocracy from Camarina . He continued this strategy as he conquered nearby Euboea and Megara Hyblaea ( 483 BC ) , forcibly removing the aristocracy from each city and placing the rest of the population in slavery . According to Herodotus , because he was raised as a noble and was constantly in the presence of nobility , Gelo did not care for the lower class , and “ found the common people unpleasant to share a house with ” . Under Gelo ' s rule , Syracuse soon became prosperous . Along with grand building program in Syracuse , Gelo sought also to create a powerful mercenary army . Most of the recruits for his army came from the native Sicel tribes . However , some were recruited from the Greek mainland , men who had most likely fought with Gelo at some point in the past , and their total number was said to be around 10 , 000 . All of these men were granted citizenship of Syracuse . Gelo found a powerful ally in Theron , tyrant of Acragas , a city west of Gela , after he married Theron ' s daughter , Demareta . In 481 BC representatives of Athens came to him asking for his aid in the upcoming war against Xerxes I and his Persian army . Gelo replied that he could supply 28 , 000 men as well was 200 ships if he was appointed commander of either the Greek navy or army . He was denied both positions and , therefore , refused to supply the Greeks with any supplies or men . In fact , he went so far as to prepare gifts for Xerxes in case the Persian king won his war against the Greek alliance . Battle of Himera . His unwillingness to support the Greeks could have been related to the threat posed by the Carthaginians on the west coast of Sicily . Theron of Acragas had jeopardized the independence of all of Sicily from the powerful Carthaginians when he defeated the tyrant Terillus at Himera . Seeking a powerful ally to assist in recapturing Himera , Terillus went to Carthage for assistance . The Carthaginians were happy to respond to his plea . The Carthaginians were keen to increase their influence and territory in Sicily and the opportunity came at a perfect time because of the coming Persian invasion of Greece . Some scholars argue that Xerxes and the Carthaginians were in contact with each other and coordinated a simultaneous attack on both the western and eastern fronts of Greece and its colonies , in the hopes that it would prevent either front from aiding the other . In any case , in 480 BC a Carthaginian force of 300 , 000 men landed at Panormus on the north coast of Sicily and advanced east towards Himera , led by their general Hamilcar . Gelo , upon hearing the danger his ally Theron was in , led an army of 50 , 000 men and 5 , 000 cavalry to Himera . A contingent of Gelo ’ s men gained access to the Carthaginian camp by posing as allies from the nearby city of Selinus . Once inside they signalled to the rest of Gelo ’ s troops , who were stationed in the mountains overlooking the camp , by setting fire to Hamilcar ’ s ships . The ensuing battle was a decisive victory for Gelo and Theron , with Carthaginian casualties estimated at 150 , 000 , including Hamilcar . The riches collected from the Carthaginian camp , as well as the 2 , 000 talents of silver that resulted from the peace treaty with Carthage , were dispersed by Gelo among his troops and his allies , with a large amount designated for the construction of a new temple in Syracuse . According to Herodotus , upon his return to his capital , Gelo organized a meeting with the people of Syracuse , and described to them his actions during the war with Hamilcar , and the manner in which he dispersed the spoils . He told them that if they found anything wrong in his conduct , they were free to kill him and take control of Syracuse for themselves . The people of Syracuse decided to keep Gelo as their tyrant , and he continued his reign in peace for the next two years . Death and Succession . Gelo died in 478 BC after ruling Syracuse for seven years . Control of his kingdom passed to his brother Hieron , who ruled for the next 10 years until his death , when a dispute over to whom the crown should pass led to the dissolution of the Syracusan state . Analysis of Contribution to Sicily and Greek History . Gelo ’ s first major contribution to Greek , and more specifically Sicilian , history was the foundation of Syracuse as his capital , which he turned into “ the greatest Greek city in the west . ” The location of the city itself made it a prime spot for such a role . The city was located on an island , connected to the mainland by a peninsula constructed in the 6th century BC . The city faced east towards the Greek mainland and had its own harbour . Gelo constructed a wall that ran from the fort of Achradina on the mainland to the sea , making Syracuse virtually impregnable . Also , by bringing in the wealthy citizens from conquered cities , a tactic never before used in Sicily , he greatly increased the prosperity of the city . He constructed a theatre which improved the city ’ s culture , and following the victory at Himera , he built an ornate temple dedicated to the goddess Athena . All of these improvements influenced the history of Syracuse for many years . The city was an important outpost for both the Roman and Byzantine empires , and today is a location of great historical importance for Sicily and Italy . The other great contribution of Gelo was the victory at Himera over the Carthaginians . The battle was significant because of the timing and location of the event . There is little doubt that if Hamilcar had managed to defeat the large Sicilian force of Gelo and Theron , he could have conquered the entire island of Sicily if he so wished . The Greek states on the mainland would have been unable to send troops due to their own war with the Persians . If , as many historians believe , the Persian and Carthaginian armies were in contact with each other , a defeat at Himera for Gelo could have led to a two pronged attack on the Greek mainland by the Persian and the Carthaginians , and perhaps to the eventual demise of Greek civilisation . But by defeating Hamilcar in 480 BC , Gelo managed to keep Sicily free from Carthaginian invasion for the next seventy years . Gelo seems to have been highly regarded by his subjects at least partially due to his victory at the Battle of Himera . This respect is apparent from the elaborate tomb and statue built in his memory at public expense . Despite Gelo ’ s mistreatment of conquered people , his reputation as a respected tyrant and generous king survived the passage of time . Perhaps the greatest testament to his influence over Sicily is how his statue was spared as Timoleon tried to erase all memory of the reign of tyrants when Sicily became a democracy 150 years after Gelo ’ s death .