The Siege of Syracuse was a battle fought between Octavian's Popular Legio III Gemina and Sextus Pompey's Optimate Legio I Equestris during the Sicilian revolt of the late 1st century BC. Following Pompey's declaration of war on the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, Lepidus' ally Octavian led his legion south from Rome and into Pompey's stronghold of Sicily, besieging his capital of Syracuse, which Pompey defended with his one legion, with the help of local Optimate sympathizers. Octavian took Syracuse by storm in the winter of early 40 BC, forcing Pompey to relocate his capital to Caralis on Sardinia.
Background[]
Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Caesar's adoptive son Gaius Octavius, Caesar's right-hand man in the military Mark Antony, and Caesar's chief ally in the Roman Senate Marcus Aemilius Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate and created a proscription list to punish Caesar's assassins and their supporters. Among those named on the list was Sextus Pompey, the surviving son of the late Caesar's civil war rival Pompey the Great. In response, Sextus led a revolt on the island of Sicily, amassing a formidable army and a large fleet of warships. He was joined on Sicily by the remnants of the conservative and republican Optimates, by friends of his father, and by rebellious slaves, who fled from the villas of Caesarian patricians. Sextus' navy was able to menace Rome's grain shipments in the Mediterranean, and riots in Rome forced the triumvirs to recognize Pompey as the ruler of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily in exchange for peace and the resumption of grain shipments to the starving capital.
This peace did not hold for long, however, as, while Pompey was also promised control of the Peloponnese region of southern Greece, Mark Antony refused to cede any of his territory to Pompey. Relations between Pompey and the Triumvirate quickly soured, and, in 41 BC, Pompey declared war on Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, who ruled over Roman Africa and was seen as the weakest triumvir. Mark Antony refused to come to Lepidus' aid, as he was chiefly concerned with his war with Parthia in the east, but Octavian, who harbored ambitions of making himself ruler of all Rome, immediately came to Lepidus' aid with the secret intent of taking Sicily and the Tyrrhenian islands for himself.
In late 41 BC, Pompey struck the first blow by crossing from Messina to Rhegium (Reggio Calabria) with his Legio I Equestris and marching into southern Italia, threatening the town of Cosentia (Cosenza). At the same time, however, Octavian marched south from Rome with his Legio III Gemina, and, upon hearing of the approach of Octavian's large army, Pompey decided to withdraw back across the Strait of Messina and back to the safety of his capital at Syracuse. Octavian followed him across the Strait and, in the early months of 40 BC, laid siege to Syracuse. His legion numbered some 2,270 troops, including well-equipped first cohorts, legionaries, legionary cavalry, spear-wielding vigiles, and javelin-throwing velites. Pompey's legion was much smaller, and it consisted of poorly-armed vigiles, mercenary spearmen, and unarmored and javelin-throwing leves. He was supported by the naval garrison of Syracuse (commanded by Iullus Hirtius Turdus) and the local Optimate garrison (commanded by Gaius Trebellius Celer).
Siege[]
Octavian's army attacking Syracuse
Octavian's army deployed four siege ladders against Syracuse's walls, with two of them, borne by vigiles, scaling the wall next to the main gates; the other two ladders were deployed against the city's eastern wall, which was undefended. In the ensuing battle, Octavian used his poor-quality vigiles as fodder for the Syracusan defenders as his legionaries scaled the eastern walls and slowly made their way into the city. Pompey initially concentrated all of his garrison against Octavian's forces at the main gates, but, upon hearing that the eastern wall had been scaled, he sent half of his army to confront Octavian's legionaries there. The battle soon became a test of the quality of both combatants' soldiers; while Octavian's vigiles suffered heavy casualties at the front gates, they were soon reinforced by his legionaries, who gradually overpowered Pompey's inferior soldiers. Once the main gate was captured, Octavian's legionaries rushed to the eastern gate to attack the remaining defenders from the rear. The Syracusan mob was slaughtered as the dagger-wielding locals found themselves surrounded by professional soldiers and were cut to pieces.
Aftermath[]
Octavian took Syracuse with 794 losses, while he destroyed Pompey's Legio I Equestris and the city's land and sea garrisons. Syracuse's capture gave Octavian a foothold on Sicily, and it broke the resistance of the Pompeian faction to Octavian's mighty army. Quintus Rabirius Cotta's Legio II Augusta was forced to abort its attempt to become a full-strength legion; the legion, consisting only of Cotta and his bodyguards, fled northwest to Panormus (Palermo), hoping to rebuild its strength and reclaim Sicily. In late winter, however, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus the Younger's Legio I Africana crossed the Mediterranean from Carthage and captured Agrigentum (Agrigento), causing a breakdown in relations between Octavian and Lepidus, as Octavian desired Sicily for himself. After Lepidus the Younger secured Panormus in late spring, Octavian accused Lepidus of attempting to usurp control of Sicily from him, and of fomenting rebellion. When Octavian's army moved to seize Agrigentum, war broke out between the triumvirs as Pompey attempted to marshal his forces on the Tyrrhenian islands in preparation for a comeback.
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