Dionysius

di-o-nish'i-us (431 or 430-367 B. C.), the tyrant of Syracuse. Originally a clerk, he succeeded in having himself appointed to a military command, which he managed in such a way as to make himself absolute master of the city. He was a ruler of ability, maintaining himself against the Carthaginians with skill. He made Syracuse an important commercial factor in the Mediterranean Sea and subdued his neighbors on the adjacent coasts of Italy. He aimed also to attract attention in the Olympian games, and contended several times for the prize for tragedy at Athens, winning third and even second, but never first place. He is remembered for the construction of a state prison in the form of a whispering gallery. It was known as the Ear of Dionysius. By placing himself at the end of a tube leading from the cell, he was able to overhear the slightest whispers of his prisoners as they conversed. In this way, he sought to keep himself informed of the plots and stratagems that surround a king, especially one who has seized authority by force of arms. Among the whims of this monarch was a stand carrying as many lamps as there are days in the year. See Damon; Damocles; Syracuse