Roms Kontakte zu Hieron II. und den Mamertinern während der Belagerung von Rhegion 270 v. Chr. Überlegungen zu Dio fr. 43, 1 BOISSEVAIN und Zonaras 8, 6, 14-15

Abstract

The article offers a critical reconsideration of the report by Cassius Dio and Zonaras that Hiero of Syracuse gave aid to the Romans when they were besieging Rhegion in 271/270 BCE. Viewed against the interstate constellation one can reconstruct for the period after the death of Pyrrhos, the report proves credible at its core. Although the older view that the Campanian state of Rhegion was a quasinatural ally of the Mamertines, who were enemies of the Syracusans, is obsolete in the light of recent research, it was nevertheless in Hiero’ s interest to ensure the Romans won a full victory at Rhegion: If the siege had ended with a negotiated peace and the withdrawal of the besieged, they would have been able to turn to Sicily and strengthen the ranks of the Mamertines there. As far as the Mamertine position is concerned, Zonaras’ claim that they made a deal with the Romans during the siege can be considered credible. However, it is likely that it was not a cooperation agreement, but a mere ‹standstill agreement›. To the Romans, cooperating with Hiero and the agreement with the Mamertines were not the starting points of active political interference in Sicily, but mere situational responses during the Rhegion campaign. As their attitude in 264 shows, the Romans did not consider themselves as having incurred a permanent, binding obligation.