The ancient Sicilian population was formed out of a mixture of various nations, Sicani, Siceli, and Greek colonists. There was also an admixture of Punic blood, and afterwards of Roman and Cam panian. After the fall of the Western Empire, the Byzantine Greeks remained masters of the island, till the Saracens came, and the Arab and Moorish race remained in Sicily for more than two centuries. Then came the Norinana, and after them the Aragonese or Spaniards, who gained a lasting footing in the country. From all these races the actual Sicilians are derived, but it may be presumed that the indi genous Sicilian and the Greek and Punic blood are the three pre ponderating elements. Accordingly there is considerable difference of complexion and appearance among the inhabitants. The Sicilians are generally dark, and yet we sometimes see complexions as fair as in the north of Italy. Unless bent down by poverty or disease, tho Sicilian exhibits a spare but muscular and erect form, lively dark eyes, great elasticity of limb, and quickness of motion. He is shrewd, quick-sighted, and very imitative. Although the climate and the state of society incline him to indolence, lie is more easily roused into activity than the Neapolitan, and is more capable of perseverance. Tho Sicilian women are handsome, and amorous; and their counte nances often exhibit e strong admixture of Greek features. The Sicilian oral language is a dialect of the Italian, and as such is noticed under the head ITALY. The modern Sicilian dialect can boast of Meli, a lyric poet equal if not superior to his countryman Theocritus.
Ilistory.—The legends of the Greeks speak of the giants, Cyclops, and Lasstrygoniaus, who inhabited Sicily previous to the epoch of the Trojan war. The Sicani are next mentioned, who are said by some have been (Thucyd., vi. 2.) Other writers consider the Sicani to be aborigines of Sicily. (Diodorus, v. 2.) The island is sometimes called Sicania, front them. The Siculi next came from Italy, and occupied the eastern part of Sicily about 300 years before the Greeks made any settlement in the island. Tho Siculi drove the Sicani to the southern and western carts of the island, to which they gave the name Sicelia. (Tlincyd., vi. 2.) They built Zancle, Agyra, Enna, Erbessus, and Hybla. The Phccuicians are said to have colonised Panormus, Solmis, and Motya. Then came the Elymmi, who are said to have built Elyma, Entolla, and Egrets. In the year ac. 750 a colony of Chalcidians from Eubma, and Megarians, led by the Athenian Thucles, landed on the eastern coast, and built the town of Naxos. In the following year a party of Corinthians and other Dorians laid the foundation of Syracuse. About B.C. 712 a party of Ithodians and Cretans built Gels on the southern coast. In course of time a colony from Gels built Agrigentum, and the Syra cusans colonised Camarina. A colony of Megarians settled at Hybla, and afterwards built Selinus, B.C. 651. Colonies from Zwcle founded liyhe and Hinters. The interior of the country remained in poe session of the Siculi, under their respective princes. Hippocrates, tyrant of Gels, about B.C. 495 defeated the Siculi, took Naxos and Leontini, and obliged the Syracusans to give up Carnarina. Having
joined Anaxilas, tyrant of Rhegium, they surprised Zancle, and shared the plunder between them. Anaxilas then invited a party of Mes senians to colonise Zancle. The tyrant Phalaris, B.C. 565-550, extended and consolidated the power of Agrigeututn. About 60 years later Theron was tyrant of Agrigentutn. He raised most of the splendid buildings of Agrigentum, and ho conquered Himera, thus extending the dominion of Agrigeotum to the northern coast of the island. Theron and his sondu-law, Gelon, tyrant of Syracuse, together defeated the first invasion of the Carthaginians, B.C. 480.
Between 1C. 452 and 440, Sicily was distracted by an internal war between the Siculi, led by their king or chief Deucetius, and the states of Agrigentum and Syracuse. It terminated with the destruction of Trinacria, a stronghold of the Siculi, which is supposed to have been near Palica, east of Caltagirone, and on the western border of the great plain of Catania. The Syracusans next attacked Leontini. This was a war of races : the Doric cities taking part with Syracuse, and the Chalcidic cities with the Leentini. The latter, being the weakest, applied to the Athenians for assistance. The first Athenian expedition to Sicily took place B.C. 427, but it led to no decisive result. A new quarrel between Egesta and Seliuus led to the second Athenian expedition to Sicily, 415, which terminated fatally for the Athenians. [SvrtAcese.] The Egestaus, being left at the mercy of their enemies of Selinus, applied to Carthage, and this led to the second invasion of Sicily by the Carthaginians (B.c. 409), who, under the command of Hannibal, son of Giecon, took and plundered Selinus, which never afterwards recovered. The Siculi of the interior having joined the Carthaginians, their united forces took and destroyed Himera 240 years after its foundation. The Carthaginians next attacked the powerful city of Agrigentum, and after a long siege took and destroyed it in ne. 406. [Aonweerruss] The Carthaginians now settled in Sicily, where they remained for about a century and a half, till the first Punic war. Syracuse was the only city that effectually opposed Carthage and preveuted its dominion extending over the whole island. After a succession of wars between Carthage and Syracuse, a treaty was concluded about B.C. 340, by which the Carthaginians retained possession of the western part of the island, the river Halycus (now the Ratan°, which enters the sea on the western side of Cape Bianco,18 miles W. front Girgenti, forming the boundary of their dominions on that side, but they retained the city of Heraclea Minoa, on the left of the river at its mouth. Lilybmum in the south, Eryx in the west (on Mount Eryx, 6 miles from Drepanum), and Panormus in the north, were the principal settlements of the Carthaginians, and they flourished by commerce. The other towns formed a league, of which Syracuse was the head. Timoleon invited fresh Greek colonies to repeople Agri gentum, Agyra, Gela, and other places which had been devastated during the war.