Hernici: A people of ancient Italy of Sabine origins who lived in Latium between the Lago di Fucino and River Sacco. They were bounded by the Volsci on the south and by the Aequi and Marsi on the north. They were able to maintain their independence and strength for some time, finally coming into conflict with the Romans in 362 BC. In 306 BC, their chief town Anagria (mod. Anagri) was captured by the Romans who turned it into a prefecture. The other Hernician towns of Ferentinum, Aletrium and Verulae continued to maintain their independence. The Hernici disappear as an independent people by 225 BC and it is assumed that they had been granted full Roman citizenship and had been entirely absorbed by that time.
Herodotus: historian of the Persian Wars.
hetaireia: in ancient Greek term for a club or an association of citizens.
Hiera (mod. Marettimo): The westernmost of the seven principal islands of the Aeoliae Insulae (Aeolian Islands), off the N coast of Sicily.
Hieron I: Tyrant of Syracuse (r478-467 BC). He was victor in the Horse Race at the Olympian Games in 476 BC and 472 BC. In 468 BC, he was victorious there in the Tethrippon.
Hieron II: (b. 305 BC; d. 215 BC). King of Syracuse (r270-215 BC). The illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble named Hierocles, he claimed to be a descendant of Gelon, tyrant of Syracuse (r485 BC-478 BC). After serving on the staff of Pyrrhus of Epirus, he became the commander of Syracuse’s army in 275 BC. He married the daughter of Leptines, a powerful and wealthy nobleman of the city. After defeating the Mamertines near Mylae (mod. Milazzo), he was proclaimed king by the Syracusans in 270 BC. In 264 BC, he continued his war with the Mamertines, intending to break their power in NE Sicily. The Mamertines appealed to both the Carthaginians and Romans for help to defend their base at Messana, creating a crisis that sparked off the First Punic War. The arrival of a Roman army under Appius Claudius Caudex to support the Mamertines motivated Hieron to form an alliance with the Carthaginian commander Hanno. When the latter was defeated by the Romans, Hieron withdrew back to Syracuse. In 263 BC, faced with a probable attack by the Romans, Hieron agreed to sign a treaty of alliance with Appius Claudius. In return for support against the Carthaginians, Hieron was guaranteed his throne and control over SE Sicily. Hieron thereafter remained a loyal ally of Rome throughout the remainder of his long reign.
In general, Hieron’s reign was a prosperous one for Syracuse. He was free to build up his kingdom’s defenses with the blessings of the Romans. His court was center for art and science. Hieron encouraged his kinsman Archimedes in his education and studies.
When Hieron died in 215 BC at age 90, he was succeeded by grandson Hieronymus but the latter’s youth and inexperience left him vulnerable to the plots of his guardians. The peace and stability created by Hieron quickly fell into strife and chaos.
Hilarius, St.: Pope. (rNov 19, 440-Feb 29, 468).
Himera: ancient city on the north coast of Sicily, founded by Greeks in the 7th cent. B.C. Here in 480 B.C. (a traditional date) forces led by Gelon routed the Carthaginians led by Hamilcar. Years later the Carthaginians destroyed (409 B.C.) the city. The citizens moved to nearby Thermae (modern Termini). The poet Stesichorus was born in Himera.
Hipponium (mod Vibo Valentia): A colony in Bruttium founded in c600 BC by Greeks from Locri Epizephyrii. Although little is known of its history, the city attempted to resist Dionysius I of Syracuse in 388 BC but was captured and sacked. It later managed to successfully rebel against Syracuse but, in c356-4 BC, it was captured by the Bruttians.
In 192 BC, the Romans founded the Latin colony of Vibo Valentia on the site of Hipponium. It grew into a flourishing city and attained the status of a municipium.