 heraclea pontica (;  hÄrakleia pontikÄ) was an ancient city on the coast of bithynia in asia minor, at the mouth of the river lycus. it was founded by the greek city-state of megarafor report of boeotian involvement see pausanias 5.26.7 in approximately 560â558 and was named after heracles whom the greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining archerusian promontory (cape baba). the site is now the location of the modern city karadeniz ereÄli, in the zonguldak province of turkey. the colonists soon subjugated the native mariandynians but agreed to terms that none of the latter, now helot-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, near cide), eventually establishing black sea colonies of its own (cytorus, callatis and chersonesus). the prosperity of the city, rudely shaken by the galatians and the bithynians, was utterly destroyed in the mithridatic wars. it was the birthplace of the philosopher heraclides ponticus. the greek historical author memnon of heraclea (fl. 1st century ad) wrote a local history of heraclea pontica in at least sixteen books. the work has perished, but photius's bibliotheca preserves a compressed account of books 9â16, seemingly the only ones extant in his day. these books run from the rule of the tyrant clearchus (c. 364â353 bc) to the later years of julius caesar (c. 40 bc) and contain many colorful accounts including the bithynian introduction of the barbarian gauls into asia where they fir
Ancient_Greek_cities Ancient_Greek_sites_in_Turkey History_of_Turkey Populated_places_established_in_the_6th_century_BC