Hermocrates

Hermocrates (Ancient Greek: ) was a general of Syracuse during the Athenians' Sicilian Expedition.

The first historical reference to Hermocrates is at the congress of Gela in 424 BC, where he gave a speech demanding the Sicilian Greeks stop their quarrelling.Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War IV 58-65. See also Marchant, E. C. (1933). In 415 BC he proposed a coalition that would even include non-Sicilian cities (as well as non-Greek cities such as Carthage) in an alliance against Athens.

He was elected as one of Syracuse's three strategoi, but was dismissed from this position after a short period of time because of his lack of success in battle. Later he was one of the most important advisors to the Spartan general Gylippus, and thus contributed to the victory over Athens during its siege of Syracuse .

In 412 BC he held the position of admiral during the battle of Cyzicus. In this battle, the Spartans and their allies were badly defeated by the Athenians and, as a result, Hermocrates was banned "in absentia". He did not return to Sicily until 408 BC. He died in a street fight after a failed coup in Syracuse in 407 BC.

Besides Thucydides, Hermocrates is mentioned by Xenophon,Xenophon, HellenikaI 1,27. PlutarchPlutarch, Nicias 21. and Polyaenus.Polyaenus I...
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