Battle of Gela (405 BC) 405 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 405 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Greco-Carthaginian War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.0667, 14.2500 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Gela took place in the summer of 405 BC in Sicily. The Carthaginian army under Himilco (a member of the Magonid family and kinsman of Hannibal Mago), which had spent the winter and spring in the captured city of Akragas, marched to confront the Greeks at Gela. The Syracuse government had deposed Daphnaeus, the unsuccessful general of the Greek army at Akragas, with Dionysius, another officer who had been a follower of Hermocrates. Dionysius schemed and gained full dictatorial powers.
When the Carthaginians laid siege to Gela, Dionysius responded by leading his forces from Syracuse to confront the threat. He devised a complex three-pronged attack strategy against the Carthaginians, but the plan failed due to a lack of proper coordination. Faced with the defeat and growing discontent in Syracuse, Dionysius made the decision to evacuate Gela to preserve his own power. After the Greeks had fled to Camarina Himilco, the Carthaginian general, sacked the abandoned city.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Gela (405 BC) (revision 1370441411), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Phintias 249 BC · 27 km
- Battle of Cape Ecnomus 256 BC · 31 km
- Battle of Agrigentum 261 BC · 65 km
- Siege of Akragas (406 BC) 406 BC · 66 km
- Battle of Centuripe 1943 · 75 km
- Battle of Gagliano 1300 · 76 km
Other battles of the Greco-Carthaginian War
- Battle of Himera (409 BC) 409 BC
- Battle of Selinus 409 BC
- Siege of Akragas (406 BC) 406 BC
- Siege of Lilybaeum (c. 277 BC) 276 BC
All 5 battles of the Greco-Carthaginian War →
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