There is a certain diffi culty in attempts to describe the period in Syracuse between thedeath of Timoleon and the coming to power of Agathocles. It was a time of great turmoil and politicalinstability – Syracuse would reappear after 317 BC as a tyranny. This article is a review ofthe events and causes that shaped the fi nal outcome. The main points of interests are: an attempt todescribe a type of government present in the given period, especially the function of the group ofthe so-called “Six Hundred Noblest,” and the career of Agathocles, an exemplary one consideringthe political realities of the time
