Hiero I

Hiero I (hī'ərō), 5th cent. B.C., Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (478-467 B.C.). He succeeded his brother Gelon. A noted patron of literature, Hiero had Simonides, Pindar, and Aeschylus at his court. Some of them honored him in verse for his victorious contests in the Greek games. The greatest glory of his career was his part in the defeat of the Etruscans at sea at Cumae in 474 B.C. As a ruler Hiero was a despot. The name also appears as Hieron I.