1. A Syracusan, son of Hermocrates, and brother of Dionysius the elder, tyrant of Syracuse.
He is first mentioned as commanding his brother's fleet at the siege of Motya (B. C. 397), and was for some time entrusted by Dionysius with the whole
direction of the siege, while the latter was engaged in reducing the other towns still held by
the Carthaginians. (Diod. 14.48.) After the fall of Motya he was
stationed there with a fleet of 120 ships, to watch for and intercept the Carthaginian fleet
under Himilco; but the latter eluded his vigilance, and effected his passage to Panormus in
safety, with the greater part of his forces, though Leptines pursued them, and sunk fifty of
his transports, containing 5000 troops. (Id. 53-55.) The face of affairs was now changed:
Himilco was able to advance unopposed along the north coast of the island, and took and
destroyed Messana; from whence he advanced upon Syracuse, his fleet, under Mago, supporting
the operations of the army. Leptines, by his brother's orders, immediately advanced with the
Syracusan fleet to engage that of Mago, and a great naval action ensued, in which Leptines
displayed the utmost valour; but having imprudently advanced with 30 of his best ships into
the midst of the enemy, he was cut off from the rest of his fleet, and only able to effect his
escape by standing out to sea. The result was, that the Syracusans were defeated with great
loss, many of their ships fell into the hands of the enemy, and Leptines himself retired with
the rest to Syracuse. During the siege that followed, he continued to render important
services, and commanded (together with the Lacedaemonian Pharacidas) the final attack upon the
naval camp of the Carthaginians, which terminated in the complete destruction of their fleet,
(Diod. 14.59, 60, 64, 72.) We hear no more of him until
B. C. 390, when he was again despatched by Dionysius with a fleet
to the assistance of the Lucanians against the Italian Greeks. He arrived just as the former
had gained a great victory over the Thurians; but instead of joining them to crush their
enemies, he afforded a refuge to the Thurian fugitives, and succeeded in bringing about a
peace between the contending parties. For this conduct, which was entirely opposed to the
views of Dionysius, he was deprived of the command of the fleet, which was given to his
younger brother, Thearides. (Id. 14.102.) Some time afterwards he gave farther offence to the
jealous temper of the tyrant, by giving one of his daughters in marriage to Philistus, without
any previous intimation to Dionysius, and on this account he was banished from Syracuse,
together with Philistus. He thereupon retired to Thurii, where the services rendered by him to
that city during the late war with the Lucanians secured him a favourable reception; and he
quickly rose to so much power and influence among the Greeks of Italy, that Dionysius judged
it prudent to recal his sentence of banishment, and invite him again to Syracuse. Here he was
completely reinstated in his former favour, and obtained one of the daughters of Dionysius in
marriage. (Diod. 15.7; Plut. Dion. 11.) In
B. C. 383, war having again broken out with the Carthaginians,
Leptines once more took an active part in the support of his brother, and commanded the right
wing of the Syracusan army in the battle near Cronium: but after displaying the greatest
personal prowess, he himself fell in the action, and the troops under his command immediately
gave way. (Diod. 15.17.)