Description
Book SynopsisThis vivid and engaging book weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and is an essential companion for anyone visiting the city. Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. This is the first modern historical guide to the city, exploring Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and revealing why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends offers detailed descriptions of the principal monumen
Trade ReviewFor newcomers exploring Sicily for the first time, as well as for returning visitors, Jeremy Dummett’s Syracuse, City of Legends is a welcome travelling companion whose enthusiasm is catching. Dummett offers a rich trove of information about its deep past, which he helpfully links to the places that can be visited today, including the more intimate places off the beaten path. -- Judith Harris, author of Pompeii Awakened
At last Syracuse is receiving the attention it deserves. Congratulations to Jeremy Dummett for his celebration of this Sicilian gem. Don’t leave for Sicily without this guide. -- Jordan Lancaster, author of In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Cultural History of Naples
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Prologue Part 1. The Story of Syracuse: From Greek City State to Modern Times 1. Foundation and the Rule of Gelon and Hiero I 2. The Athenian Expedition to Sicily 3. Dionysius I: Tyrant and Warlord 4. Five More Tyrants 5. Hiero II and the Roman Siege 6. Cicero and the Rise of Rome 7. Santa Lucia and the Early Christians 8. Byzantium and the Arab Siege 9. Outline to 1945 10. Modern Syracuse
Part 2. The Principal Monuments: A Commentary 11. The Greek Era 12. The Roman Era 13. The Early Christian Era 14. Baroque Syracuse 15. Other Important Monuments
Notes Further Reading Bibliography Chronological Table Glossary Index
