The siege of Rhegium was undertaken in 387 BC by a

Syracusan Syracuse ( ; ; ) is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace a ...

force against the city of

Rhegium Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

. The Syracusans were led by the tyrant Dionysius I.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World
'. Italy,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2001. 419. Dionysius took the city, and sold its inhabitants into slavery. Rhegium had allied with

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

against Syracuse during the Third Sicilian War because Syracuse was a rival in

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia refers to the Greek-speaking areas of southern Italy, encompassing the modern Regions of Italy, Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, and Sicily. These regions were Greek colonisation, extensively settled by G ...

and both wanted to control the

Strait of Messina The Strait of Messina (; ) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, with ...

. Now that Syracuse and Carthage had secured peace, Dionysius wanted revenge on Rhegium. Dionysius invaded the mainland crushing Rhegium’s ally, the Italiote League of Taurentum, at the Battle of the Elleporus. He then besieged, captured and sacked Rhegium, selling its inhabitants into slavery. Rhegium would eventually be re-founded by Dionysius II.

References

380s BC conflicts

387 BC 4th century BC in Italy {{AncientGreece-battle-stub