HERACLEA, surnamed Minoa, in Ancient Geography, a Greek city of Sicily, at the mouth of the Halycus (now the Platani), 20 miles N.W. from Agrigentum. The surname seems to have been originally the name of the town, which is first mentioned in history as a colony of Selinus. About the end of the sixth century B.C. it was recolonized by the Spartans, and had attained to great prosperity and power, when it was destroyed by the jealousy of the Carthaginians. After remaining in their power for about 200 years, it fell into the hands of Agathocles, and then of Pyrrhus. It was
next recovered by the Carthaginians, who retained it till at the end of the first Punic War the whole of Sicily was made over to the Romans. In the second Punic War it reverted to the Carthaginian sway, but was finally attached to the Roman empire by Marcellus shortly after the fall of Syracuse. After the servile war, Heraclea was repopulated by the Romans, and continued to flourish till the time of Cicero, who alludes to it as a place of importance. Before the age of Ptolemy it seems to have sunk into decay, and at this day its very ruins can hardly be traced.