Siege of Lilybaeum (368 BC)

This article is about the siege of Lilybaeum by Dionysius I of Syracuse. For the siege by Pyrrhus of Epirus, see Siege of Lilybaeum (c. 277 BC). For the Roman siege of 250-241 BC, see Siege of Lilybaeum (250–241 BC).

Siege of Lilybaeum
Part of the Sicilian Wars
Date 368 BC Location Marsala, Sicily 37.799999°N 12.433333°E / 37.799999; 12.433333 Result Carthaginian victory
Belligerents
Syracuse	Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Dionysius	Unknown

The siege of Lilybaeum in 368 BC was the second of three engagements fought between Syracuse and Carthage during the Sicilian Wars and was a major engagement in the Fifth Sicilian War.

The engagement was spearheaded by Dionysius (also spelt "Dionysus"), who had previously destroyed another settlement named Mozia during his conquest of Sicily, prompting the creation of Lilybaeum. Dionysius abandoned the siege because of the dense concentration of soldiers in the city.

Following the siege, Dionysius had received word that the Carthaginians' dockyards were destroyed alongside their entire fleet. He then sent around 130 triremes to Eryx, sending the rest of his fleet back to Syracuse. However, when the Carthaginians sailed around 200 ships to the harbor of Eryx, Dionysus' fleet was routed. Following the defeat, Dionysus fell sick and died.