sirii.Y. 



SICILY. 



6*1 



ground for Urge resaeU. and a strong castle. Favignana has good 

 imlum and copious springs. A number of sheep are reared on 

 Ifrt, frj..j w hioh is the largest of the group, and the larroanding 

 M abound* with fish. The wood* contain harm and deer. Martlimo, 

 originally called Hiera, and afterward! Maritima from its standing 

 fartbert oat at Ma, is 11 milea in circuit, and 25 mile* from the coast; 

 it U rocky and naked, and the coast is bold and steep : wild thyme 

 grows in abundance, and supplies nourishment for swarms of bees. 

 It has a strong castle, which is used as a prison for state prisoners. 

 /xTtt*:o, the ancient Bucinna, north of Favignana, and about 10 unles 

 distant from the point of Trapani, is 8 milea in circuit, and has some 

 good pasture*. The group comprises some smaller rocky islands, 

 dangerous to navigator*, among which arc the two Formiche, and 

 Seogtio di Meno, between Levanxo, Favignana, and the mainland. 

 The .Cgates are celebrated in history for the great naval victory 

 gained by the Romans (ac. 241) orer the Carthaginian fleet towards 

 the end of the first Punic war. There is a group of small islands 

 oath-east of Favignana and near Cape Lilybxum, one of which, 

 &m PanlaJto, is the ancient Motya, once a settlement of the 

 Phoenicians, and afterwards a stronghold of the Carthaginians, which 

 was destroyed by Dionyaius the elder. There are some fragments of 

 the walls and gateways of the ancient city. The island is only a mile 

 and a half round ; it is barren and inhabited only by a few fishermen. 

 Outside San Pantaleo lies a group of low rocky islets called Stagnant. 

 Motya was in ancient times connected with Sicily by a causeway. 



IlL The island of I'ttica, 40 miles N. by W. from Palermo, is about 

 11 miles in circumference; the surface is hilly; it contains many 

 olive and other trees, and large cisterns cut in the rock, as well as 

 sepulchres and other traces of ancient colonisation. Ustica was for 

 centuries deserted, owing to the island being exposed to the depreda- 

 tions of the Barbary pirates, until the year 1759, when a fresh colony 

 was sent to it, with a garrison, and several small forts were built : the 

 population is now in a thriving condition. [PALERMO.] 



IV. The island of Panidlaria, the ancient Cossyra, is situated 

 between the south-west coast of Sicily and the coast of Tunis, east of 

 Cape Bon, from which it is about 44 miles distant It is 60 miles 

 from the nearest point of Sicily south of Mazzara, Pantellaria is 

 about 38 miles in circumference ; it is of volcanic formation, and pro- 

 duces the vine and the olive, cotton, pulse, fruits, and pasture, but 

 little corn. Fhe inhabitants, who number about 5000, are remarkably 

 industrious. The island has several creeks with good anchorage- 

 ground. An herb called orseglia, which grows on the island, is used 

 for dyeing. There is a warm soapy spring, which is used for bleaching 

 and scouring linen, and other mineral springs. A copious spring in 

 the middle of the island furnishes the inhabitants with drinkable 

 water. There is a town, with several churches, and a castle with a 

 garrison sent from Sicily. 



V. South of Pantellaria, towards the coast of Tripoli, are the two 

 uninhabited islands of Liiuaa, and Lampedota. Linosa, which is the 

 smaller, is destitute of water, but Lampedosa has a good spring and 

 good anchorage-ground, nnd a soil capable of cultivation ; it was 

 once inhabited. Lrunpedosa gives the title of prince to a Sicilian 

 family. The crown of Sicily used to receive feudal homage from the 

 grand-master of the order of Malta, that island, as well as Oozo, 

 having formerly been subject to the kings of Sicily. 



The best harbours on the coast of Sicily are those of Messina and 

 Syracuse, which are perfectly safe. The ports of Palermo, Agosta, 

 and Trapani are next in importance. But the southern coast is 

 destitute of harbours ; that of Girgenti is only fit for small craft, and 

 therefore this coast is dreaded by Mediterranean sailors. 



The ancient Sicilian population was formed out of a mixture of 

 various nations, Sicani, Siceli, and Greek colonists. There was also 

 an admixture of Punic blood, and afterwards of Roman and Cam- 

 panian. After the fall of the Western Empire, the Byzantine Greeks 

 remained masters of the island, till the Saracens came, and the Arab 

 and Moorish race remained in Sicily for more than two centuries. 

 Then came the Normans, and after them the Aragonese or Spaniards, 

 who gained a lasting footing in the country. From all these races the 

 actual Sicilians are derived, but it may be presumed that the indi- 

 genous Sicilian and the Greek and Punic blood lire the three pre- 

 ponderating elements. Accordingly there is considerable difference 

 of complexion and appearance among the inhabitants. The Sicilians 

 are generally dark, and yet we sometimes H' e complexions as fair as 

 in the north of Italy. Unless bent down by poverty or disease, the 

 Sicilian exhibits a spare but muscular and erect form, lively dark eyes, 

 great elasticity of limb, and quickness of motion. He is shrewd, 

 quick-sighted, and very imitative. Although the climate and the 

 state of society incline him to indolence, he is more easily roused 

 into activity than the Neapolitan, and is more capable of perseverance. 

 The Sicilian women are handsome, and amorous; and their counte- 

 nances often exhibit strong admixture of Greek features. The 

 Sicilian oral language is a dialect of the Italian, and aa such ia noticed 

 under the head ITALY. The modern Sicilian dialect can boast of Meli, 

 a lyric poet equal if not superior to his countryman Theocritus. 



hiilory. The legends of the Greeks speak of the giants, Cyclops, 

 and Lsestrygonians, who inhabited Sicily previous to the epoch of the 

 Trojan war. The Sicani are next mentioned, who are said by some 



have been Iberian?. (Thucyd., vi. 2.) Other writers consider the 





Sicani to be aborigines of Sicily. (Diodorus, v. 2.) The island in 

 sometimes called Sicania, from them. The Siculi next came from 

 Italy, and occupied the eastern part of Sicily about 300 years before 

 the Greeks made any settlement in the island. The Siculi drove tin- 

 Sicani to the southern and western parts of the island, to which tlu'y 

 gave the name Sieelia, (Thucyd., vi. 2.) They built Zancle, Agyra, 

 Knna, Erbessus, and Hybla. The Phoenicians are said to have 

 colonised Panormus, Solcais, and Motya. Then came the Elymooi, 

 who are said to have built Elyma, Kntella, and Kgestn. In the year 

 B.C. 750 a colony of Chalcidians from Eubooa, and Megarians, led by 

 the Athenian Thucles, landed on the eastern coast, and built the 

 town of Naxos. In the following year a party of Corinthians nnd 

 other Dorians laid the foundation of Syracuse. About B.C. 712 a 

 party of Khodians and Cretans built Gela on the southern coast. In 

 course of time a colony from Gela built Agrigentum, and tha Syra- 

 cusans colonised Camarina. A colony of Megarians settled at Hybla, 

 and afterwards built Selinus, B.C. 651. Colonies from Zincle founded 

 Mylw and Himera. The interior of the country remained in pos- 

 session of the Siculi, under their respective princes. Hippocrati-s, 

 tyrant of Gela, about B.C. 495 defeated the Siculi, took Naxoa and 

 Leontini, and obliged the Syracusans to give up Camarina. Having 

 joined Anaxilas, tyrant of Khegium, they surprised Zanele, nnd shared 

 the plunder between them. Anaxilas then invited a party of Mes- 

 senians to colonise Zancle. The tyrant Phalaris, B.C. 565-550, extended 

 and consolidated the power of Agrigentum. About 60 years later 

 Theron was tyrant of Agrigentum. He raised most of the splendid 

 buildings of Agrigentum, and he conquered Himera, thus extending 

 the dominion of Agrigentum to the northern coast of the island. 

 Theron and his son-in-law, Gelon, tyrant of Syracuse, together defeated 

 the first invasion of the Carthaginians, B.C. 480. 



Between B.C. 452 and 440, Sicily wag distracted by an internal war 

 between the Siculi, led by their king or chief Deucetius, and the 

 states of Agrigentum and Syracuse. It terminated with the destruction 

 of Trinacria, a stronghold of the Siculi, which is supposed to havo 

 been near Palica, east of Caltagirone, and on the western border of 

 the great plain of Catania. The Syracusans next attacked Leontiui. 

 This was a war of races : the Doric cities taking part with Syracuse, 

 and the Chalcidic cities with the Leontini. The latter, being the 

 weakest, applied to the Athenians for assistance. The first Athenian 

 expedition to Sicily took place B.C. 427, but it led to no decisive 

 result A new quarrel between Egesta and Selinus led to the second 

 Athenian expedition to Sicily, B.C. 415, which terminated fatally for 

 the Athenians. [SYRACUSE.] The Egeatans, being left at the mercy 

 of their enemies of Selinus, applied to Carthage, and this led to the 

 second invasion of Sicily by the Carthaginians (B.C. 409), who, under 

 the command of Hannibal, son of Giscon, took and plundered Selinus, 

 which never afterwards recovered. The Siculi of the interior having 

 joined the Carthaginians, their united forces took and destroyed 

 Himera 240 years after its foundation. The Carthaginians lu-xt 

 attacked the powerful city of Agrigentum, and after a long siege took 

 and destroyed it in B.C. 406. [AQHIGENTUM.] 



The Carthaginians now settled in Sicily, where they remained for 

 about a century and a half, till the first Punic war. Syracuse was 

 the only city that effectually opposed Carthage and prevented its 

 dominion extending over tha whole island. After a succession of 

 wars between Carthage and Syracuse, a treaty was concluded about 

 B.C. 340, by which the Carthaginians retained possession of the western 

 part of the island, the river Halycus (now the Platani), which enters 

 the sea on the western side of Cape Bianco, 18 miles W. from Girgenti, 

 forming the boundary of their dominions on that side, but they 

 retained the city of Heraclea Minoa, on the left of the river at its 

 mouth. Lilybicum in the south, Eryx in the west (on Mount Eryx, 

 6 miles from Drepanum), and Panormus in the north, were the 

 principal settlements of the Carthaginians, and they flourished by 

 commerce. The other towns formed a league, of which Syracuse was 

 the head. Timoleon invited fresh Greek colouiea to repeople Agri- 

 gentum, Agyra, Gela, and other places which had been devastated 

 during the war. 



The Carthaginians availed themselves of the dissensions between 

 Syracuse and Agrigeutum to interfere as mediators, when, in reward 

 for their mediation, they secured an extension of territory to the 

 river Himera. A war broke out between Syracuse and Carthage 

 about B.C. 310, the particulars of which are related under CAHTIIACI:, 

 vol. ii., col. 363. Pyrrhus, son-in-law of Agathooles, came and drove* 

 the Carthaginians out of the island, with the exception of LilytaMim, 

 which he could not take, and he suddenly abandoned Sicily to its own 

 dissensions and the mercy of the Carthaginians. 



Syracuse, in this emergency, elected Hiero for its commander, who 

 began by attacking the Mamertines in Messana. The Mamertiuea 

 called iu the aid of the Carthaginians, who took possession of the 

 citadel. The Mamertines however revolted against their new allies, 

 and called in the Romans to assist them against both Hiero and the 

 Carthaginians. This circumstance led to the first Punic war, at the 

 end of which the Romans succeeded the Carthaginians iu the pos- 

 session of the west of Sicily Hiero II., king of Syracuse, retaining 

 possession of the eastern part as ally of Rome. During the second 

 Punic war the Romans took Syracuse, and became masters of the 

 whole island which they administered as a province under a pnctor 



