Dionysius I of Syracuse
The city was of Siculian origin; in 403 BC the tyrant Archonides of Herbita (a Siculian city), having concluded peace with Dionysius I of Syracuse, gave the northern part of his territory to the Sicilians as well as to mercenaries and others who had helped him during the war. He named it Halaesa, to which the epithet Archonidea was frequently added for the purpose of distinction. Others attributed the foundation of the city erroneously to the Carthaginians.