the tyrants ensured that the peace was not unbroken. Carthage focused on expanding in Africa, leaving Sicily alone for 70 years. Apart from an obscure clash in 454 BC, the Greeks and Phoenicians left each other alone in Sicily. Himera remained in the possession of Akragas until 472 BC. Theron expelled the Ionians after they attempted a coup and settled the city with Dorian Greeks. By 466 BC, the Sicilian Greek cities had broken away from the dominions of Gelo and Theron and had overthrown the tyrants' heirs, so in place of three Greek power blocks dominating Sicily (those of Syracuse, Akragas and Rhegion), eleven bickering Greek commonwealths came into being by 461 BC. They continued the Ionic/Doric feud in full force in addition to threatening the native Sicilians. Their actions ultimately led to the "Second Sicilian War" and the final destruction of Himera in 409 BC. 2008 mass grave discovery During the construction of a railway extension in 2008, near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Himera, archeologists uncovered more than 10,000 burials. A number of those graves held the remains of 5th century BC soldiers. Researchers note that DNA sequencing determined that warriors who took part in second battle were mercenaries brought from as far as modern-day Ukraine and Latvia. Notes References Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus Siculus: The Library of History. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 2. Books 2.35–4.58. . Vol. 7. Books 15.20–16.65. . Vol. 10. Books 19.66–20. . Herodotus; Histories, A. D. Godley (translator), Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1920; . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. https://www.historyhit.com/how-significant-was-the-battle-of-himera/ External links Livius Picture Archive: battle of Himera (480 BCE) 480 BC 480s BC conflicts Himera 480 BC Himera (480 BC) Himera