History of the Peloponnesian War

The Sicels, again, crossed over from Italy, where they dwelt, to Sicily, fleeing from the Opicans—as is probable and indeed is reported— on rafts, having waited for their passage till the wind was from the shore; or perhaps they sailed thither in some other way also. Even now there are Sicels still in Italy; and the country was named Italy after Italus, a king of the Sicels who had this name.

These crossed over to Sicily in a vast horde and conquering the Sicanians in battle forced them back to the southern and western parts of the island, causing it to be called Sicily instead of Sicania. They settled there after they had crossed and held the best parts of the land for nearly three hundred years before the Hellenes came to Sicily; and even now they still hold the central and northern parts of the island.

Phoenicians, too, had settlements all round Sicily, on promontories along the sea coast, which they walled off, and on the adjacent islets, for the sake of trade with the Sicels. But when the Hellenes also began to come in by sea in large numbers, the Phoenicians left most of these places and settling together lived in Motya,[*](On the little island of S. Pantaleon near the promontory of Lilybaeum.) Soloeis[*](East of Palermo, now Salanto.) and Panormus[*](Now Palermo.) near the Elymi, partly because they trusted in their alliance with the Elymi and partly because from there the voyage from Sicily to Carthage is shortest. These, then, were the barbarians and such was the manner in which they settled in Sicily.

Of the Hellenes, on the other hand, the first to sail over were some Chalcidians from Euboea who settled Naxos[*](735 B.C. The site was the best point for landing from Hellas, near Tauromenium (Taormina).) with Thucles as founder,[*](A leader appointed by a state to conduct the people sent out to establish a colony. He probably received material privileges and grants while alive, and certainly was paid divine honours—sacrifices and games—after death. If a colony afterwards founded another colony, it was customary to ask a leader from the mother city.) and built an altar in honour of Apollo Archegetes.[*](So called as “founder” or protector of a new settlement.) This is now outside of the city, and on it the sacred deputies,[*](On missions to games or oracles.) when they sail from Sicily, first offer sacrifice.

The following year Syracuse[*](734 B.C.) was founded by Archias, one of the Heracleidae from Corinth, after he had first expelled the Sicels from the island, no longer surrounded by water, on which now stands the inner city; and at a later period also the outer city was connected with it by walls and became populous.

In the fifth year after the settlement of Syracuse, Thucles and the Chalcidians, setting forth from Naxos, drove out the Sicels in war and settled Leontini, and after it Catana.[*](729 B.C.) The Catanaeans, however, chose for themselves Evarchus as founder.