Ἡράκλεια Ποντική | |
 Map indicating Heraclea Pontica (underlined in red) during the Roman expansion in 133 BC | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Karadeniz Ereğli,Zonguldak Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Bithynia |
| Coordinates | 41°17′5″N31°24′53″E / 41.28472°N 31.41472°E /41.28472; 31.41472 |
| History | |
| Builder | Colonists fromMegara |
| Founded | Between 560–558 BC |
| Periods | Archaic Greece |
Heraclea Pontica (/ˌhɛrəˈkliːəˈpɒntɪkə/;Ancient Greek:Ἡράκλεια Ποντική,romanized: Hērákleia Pontikḗ;Attic Greek:[hɛːrákleːapontikɛ́ː],Koine Greek:[(h)e̝ˈrakliapontiˈke̝]), known inByzantine and later times asPontoheraclea (Greek:Ποντοηράκλεια,romanized: Pontohērakleia), was an ancient city on the coast ofBithynia inAsia Minor, at the mouth of the riverLycus. The site is now the location of the modern cityKaradeniz Ereğli, in theZonguldak Province ofTurkey.
Heraclea Pontica wasfounded by the Greek city-state ofMegara[1] in approximately 560–558 BC and was named afterHeracles who the Greeks believedentered the underworld at a cave on the adjoiningAcherusian cape.
The colonists soon subjugated the nativeMariandynians[2] but agreed to terms that none of the latter, nowhelot-like serfs, be sold into slavery outside their homeland. Prospering from the rich, fertile adjacent lands and the sea-fisheries of its natural harbor, Heraclea soon extended its control along the coast as far east as Cytorus (Gideros, nearCide), eventually establishing Black Sea colonies of its own (Cytorus,Callatis andChersonesus). It was the birthplace of the philosopherHeraclides Ponticus.
The prosperity of the city, rudely shaken by theGalatians and theBithynians, was utterly destroyed in theMithridatic Wars.[2]
The Greek historical authorMemnon of Heraclea (fl. 1st century AD) wrote a local history of Heraclea Pontica in at least sixteen books. The work has perished, butPhotius'sBibliotheca preserves a compressed account of books 9–16, seemingly the only ones extant in his day. These books run from the rule of the tyrantClearchus (c. 364–353 BC) to the later years ofJulius Caesar (c. 40 BC) and contain many colorful accounts including the Bithynian introduction of the barbarianGauls into Asia where they first allied themselves with the Heracleans and later turned violently against them.
Then, Heraclea Pontica was part of the (Eastern) Roman Empire for more than 1000 years. The Turks ravaged the area after theBattle of Mantzikert in 1071.David Komnenos, brother of the ruler of TrebizondAlexios I of Trebizond, took Heraclea Pontica in 1205 and made it capital of his domain, called Paphlagonia; he lost it in 1214 to Theodore I Laskaris, who made it a major frontier bulwark. The Genoese had a colony there after 1261. When the Turks conquered Paphlagonia in 1360, Genoa bought the city from the weakening Byzantine Empire. Heraclea developed as a trading centre of the Genoese, who settled there in large numbers. A ruined citadel on a height overlooking the town is a remnant of this period. The Italian name of the city was Pontarachia.[3] The Genoese held the city until the Ottomans captured it after 1453.[4][5]
Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Heraclea".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hogarth, David George (1911). "Heracleas.v. Heraclea Pontia". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 308.
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