From Katane to Aitna and back again

Population relocations under the Deinomenids transformed the demographics of Syracuse and eastern Sicily. This paper explores Hieron’s foundation of Aitna and proposes that the new city should not be considered as merely a refoundation or renaming of Katane, but represents an expansion of the city’s territory to include Naxos and its chora. Archaeological evidence at Naxos reveals a flourishing urban center dated to a period for which historical sources are silent. It is proposed that the new urban grid was populated by a portion of the settlers Hieron moved to Aitna, and accordingly functioned as part of the tyrant’s new polis.