Agathokles of Syracuse ruled large areas of Sicily and southern Italy between 317 and 289 BC. In this book, Christopher de Lisle argues that Agathokles was an important player in the Mediterranean world at a key moment in its history. Agathokles' career has important implications for our definition of the Hellenistic world and its relationship to both the western Mediterranean and earlier Greek history. However, he has tended not to feature in studies of the Hellenistic world or of ancient Sicily. In ancient discourse about him, in the coins he issued, in his interactions with the world around him, and in the way he ruled, Agathokles is simultaneously heir to a long tradition and actively engaged in his contemporary world. The failure to place Agathokles in both of these contexts up till now has contributed to the development of an excessively deep separation between the western and eastern Mediterranean and between the Classical and Hellenistic periods. This work - the first book-length study of Agathokles in English in over a century - places him in the context of both the earlier history of Sicily, and the developments in the eastern Mediterranean that mark the start of the Hellenistic era. The volume includes a narrative of his career, studies of his coinage and his representation in literary sources, and a series of explorations of important themes and regions.

About the Author
Christopher de Lisle is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow and Supernumerary Fellow of University College, Oxford. He holds a DPhil in Ancient History from Oxford and an undergraduate and Master's degree in Classics from Victoria University of Wellington. His work focuses on the history and numismatics of ancient Sicily and Athenian epigraphy.

Reviews
includes ... important contributions * Kostas Vlassopoulos, Greece & Rome *
The volume's strength lies especially in de Lisle's ability to explain very complex scenarios with clarity in order to make his argument accessible to both students and scholars. The treatment of the numismatic evidence, and the chronological model of Agathokles' coinage put forward by de Lisle will also no doubt prove influential in future scholarship. * Samuel Ellis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198861720
Author Christopher de Lisle
Format Hardback
Page Count 380
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 558g
Dimensions(mm) 225mm * 145mm * 30mm