Battle of Himera (480 BC)
Battle of the Sicilian Wars / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Himera (480 BC), supposedly fought on the same day as the Battle of Salamis,[2] or at the same time as the Battle of Thermopylae,[3] saw the Greek forces of Gelon, King of Syracuse, and Theron, tyrant of Agrigentum, defeat the Carthaginian force of Hamilcar the Magonid, ending a Carthaginian bid to restore the deposed tyrant of Himera. The alleged coincidence of this battle with the naval battle of Salamis and the resultant derailing of a Punic-Persian conspiracy aimed at destroying the Greek civilization[4] is rejected by modern scholars.[5] Scholars also agree that the battle led to the crippling of Carthage's power in Sicily for many decades.[6][7] It was one of the most important battles of the Sicilian Wars.
Battle of Himera | |||||||
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Part of the Sicilian Wars | |||||||
Romanticised representation of the Battle of Himera | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Syracuse Akragas | Carthage | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Gelo Theron | Hamilcar † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown 50,000 infantry[1] 5,000 cavalry[1] |
Unknown 300,000[1] Modern sources estimate around 50,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Minimal | Heavy | ||||||
The discovery in 2007 and 2008 of mass graves from the battle has confirmed the location and nature of the battle.[8][9][10]