 After a brief period under the rule of Epirus, Hiero II seized power in 275 BC.Hiero inaugurated a period of 50 years of peace and prosperity, in which Syracuse became one of the most renowned capitals of Antiquity.He issued the so-called "Lex Hieronica", which was later adopted by the Romans for their administration of Sicily; he also had the theatre enlarged and a new immense altar, the "Hiero's Ara", built.