论迦太基威胁与西西里僭主政治的长期延续

The Carthaginian Threat and the Long-Term Continuation of Tyranny in Greek Sicily

不少学者认为,古代西西里的僭主政治之所以能够长期延续,原因之一是对抗迦太基威胁的需要。对相关文献的梳理表明,迦太基威胁在一定程度上确实存在,但在古典作家对希麦拉之战的重述中,这种威胁被不断夸大。和平是西西里希腊人城邦与迦太基关系的主流,双方互动频繁。战争虽时有爆发,但多由希腊僭主挑起,战争性质通常不是希腊人与迦太基人之间的民族对抗,战略目标也并非彻底消灭对方,而是达成某种让和平得以维系的平衡。对老狄奥尼修斯的个案分析表明,真正有助于僭主夺权与掌权的,是通过夸大迦太基威胁而营造的危机环境,而非迦太基与西西里希腊人城邦的实际关系。

One widely accepted proposal for the long-term continuation of tyranny in Sicily was the need to counter the Carthaginian threat.A review of the relevant literature shows that the Carthaginian threat did exist to a certain extent,but that it was constantly exaggerated in the retellings of the Battle of Himera by classical writers.Peace dominated the relationship between the Sicilian Greek city-states and Carthage,with frequent interactions between the two sides.Wars broke out from time to time,but they were mostly instigated by Greek tyrants,and the nature of the wars was usually not one of ethnic rivalry between the Greeks and the Carthaginians,and the strategic goal was not the total annihilation of the other side,but rather the achievement of some kind of equilibrium that would allow peace to be maintained.An analysis of the case of Dionysius the Elder shows that it was the crisis environment created by the exaggerated Carthaginian threat,rather than the actual relationship between Carthage and the Greek city-states of Sicily,that really helped the tyrant to seize and hold power.