Heraclea (Lucania)

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Heraclea (also called Heracleia or Herakleia) was an ancient Greek city in southern Italy, located on the Gulf of Taranto between the Aciris (modern Agri) and Siris (modern Sinni) rivers. Today its ruins are near Policoro in the Basilicata region.

It was a Greek colony founded in 432 BCE by Tarentum (Tarentum) with some inhabitants from Siris. The new city began on the old Siris site but soon moved a short distance closer to the Aciris river and was named Heraclea. Siris continued to exist as the port of Heraclea. The city grew wealthy thanks to fertile farmland and Tarentine support, and it hosted a major assembly of the Italiot Greeks.

Heraclea allied with Tarentum and the Lucanians and fought Rome as Rome expanded in the area. In 280 BCE the Battle of Heraclea saw Pyrrhus of Epirus defeat a Roman consul near the Siris. In 278 BCE Rome gave Heraclea a favorable treaty, helping it stay relatively independent for a time. In 212 BCE, during Hannibal’s invasion of Italy, Heraclea surrendered under pressure.

During the Social War (late 2nd century BCE) its public records were said to be destroyed by fire, but Cicero later described it as still a flourishing town under Roman rule. Ptolemy omits it in the 2nd century AD, but the Antonine Itinerary and the Tabula Peutingeriana show that it continued to exist. A road from Venusia connected to the coast at Heraclea.

The exact date of its final extinction is unknown. Today the site is desolate, with heaps of foundations and ruins near Policoro about 5 km from the sea, close to the Aciris river. A medieval town named Anglona once stood nearby, including an 11th-century church. The bronze Bronze Tables of Heraclea (Tabulae Heracleenses), found nearby, are important for Roman law. Heraclea is often linked as the homeland of the painter Zeuxis, though this is debated. The city produced rich coins and artworks, showing its wealth and artistic life in Magna Graecia.