 The archaeological site of Helorus | |
  Helorus Shown within Italy | |
| Location | Noto,Province of Syracuse,Sicily, Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°50′32″N15°06′34″E / 36.84222°N 15.10944°E /36.84222; 15.10944 |
| Satellite of | Syracuse |
Helorus,Heloros,Helorum, orElorus (Greek:Ἔλωρος orἝλωρος,Ptol.,Steph. B. orἝλωρον,Scyl.;Italian:Eloro), was an ancient Greek city ofMagna Graecia inSicily, situated near the east coast, about 40 km south ofSyracuse and on the banks of the river of the same name.[1] It is currently an archaeological site in the moderncomune ofNoto.[2]
We have no account of its origin, but it was probably a colony of Syracuse, of which it appears to have continued always a dependency. The name is first found inScylax;[3] for, thoughThucydides repeatedly mentions the road leading to Helorus from Syracuse,[4] which was that followed by theAthenians in their disastrous retreat, he never speaks of the town itself. It was one of the cities which remained the under the government ofHieron II by the treaty concluded with him by theRomans, in 263 BC:[5] and, having during theSecond Punic War declared in favour of theCarthaginians, was recovered byMarcus Claudius Marcellus in 214 BC.[6]
Under the Romans it appears to have been dependent on Syracuse, and had perhaps no separate municipal existence, though in a passage ofCicero[7] it appears to be noticed as acivitas. Its name is again mentioned by the orator (Id. v. 34) as a maritime town where the squadron fitted out byVerres was attacked by pirates: but it does not occur inPliny's list of the towns of Sicily; though he elsewhere[8] mentions it as acastellum on the river of the same name: andPtolemy[9] speaks of a city of Helorus.
Its ruins were still visible in the days ofFazello; a little to the north of theriver Helorus, and about a mile from the sea-coast. The most conspicuous of them were the remains of a theatre, called by the country peopleColisseo: but great part of the walls and other buildings could be traced. The extent of them was, however, inconsiderable.
Today the impressive walls, with square bastions, of large ashlars without mortar are visible in some places. The theatre and agora and several other buildings can be seen.
The sanctuary of Demeter and Kore dating from the second half of the 4th c. BC has been excavated on the shore north of the city, just outside city walls. The sanctuary flourished from the archaic to the Hellenistic period as shown by the rich votive offerings.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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