ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights two methods of enhancing the public finances at Syracuse, namely the financial gains obtained from sacking temples and from the enforced movement of conquered populations. The account notes that the Syracusans had responded to the widespread occurrence of Etruscan piracy. Dionysius was in need of money and waged war against the Etruscans with sixty triremes. His excuse for the expedition was the suppression of piracy but he actually intended to plunder a temple which contained expensive dedications. The privateers were not mercenaries but rather an illustration of an early example of outsourcing in the private sector, hence the title privateer. The sacking of temple sanctuaries for their treasures as a supplement to a state’s revenues does not appear to have been a regular feature of warfare at the start of the classical period. However, the practice became more common, arguably in tandem with an increasing cost of pursuing military campaigns.
