Gelo

Gelo (Greek: Γέλων Gelon, gen.: Γέλωνος; died 478 BC), son of Deinomenes, was a 5th-century BC ruler of Gela and Syracuse and first of the Deinomenid rulers.

Gelo was the son of Deinomenes. His ancestors according to Herodotus came from the island of Telos in the Aegean Sea and were the founders of the city of Gela in southern Sicily. One of his relatives, Telines, was said to have reconciled his people after a period of civil strife through the divine rites of the Earth Goddesses, and all his descendents continued a tradition of priesthood in the cult of these goddesses, which included Demeter. Gelo was in all likelihood a priest of this cult. His three brothers were Hieron, Thrasybulus, and Polyzelos. Deinomenes consulted an oracle about the fates of his children, and was told that Gelo, Hieron and Thrasybulus were all destined to become tyrants.

Gelo fought in a number of the conflicts between the various tyrant kings of Sicily and earned a reputation as a formidable soldier. His performance was so impressive that he was promoted to be commander of the cavalry for Hippocrates, tyrant of Gela. From this position he played a key role in a number of battles, including one against Syracuse, a city which he himself would later conquer.

But it was not until Hippocrates was killed in a battle with the native Sicel tribe of Sicily at Hybla that Gelo’s rise to power began. Upon Hippocrates’ death his sons retained the throne, but the common people were tired of this family’s rule and revolted. Gelo quelled the revolt on the pretext of helping Hippocrates’ sons gain power. Instead, he took power for himself with the help of the army in 491 BC. The territory now under his control as tyrant included that of Gela, Naxos in the east, Zancle in the northeast, and Camarina in the south.

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