Hybla Heraea or Hybla Hera (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: or ) was an ancient city of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
; its site is at the modern ''
località
A ''località'' is an inhabited place in Italy that is not accorded a more significant distinction in administrative law such as a ''frazione'', ''comune'', ''municipio'', ''circoscrizione'', or ''quartiere''. The word is cognate to English ''loc ...
'' of
Ibla
Ragusa (; scn, Rausa ; la, Ragusia) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with 73,288 inhabitants in 2016. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valley ...
, in the ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of
Ragusa. There were at least three (and possibly as many as five) cities named "Hybla" in ancient accounts of Sicily which are often confounded with each other, and which it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish.
[ William Smith, Britain's foremost classicist of the 19th century, begins to describe ]Hybla Major Hybla Major or Hybla Maior or Hybla Magna ( Greek: = Hybla Megálē) – the "Greater Hybla" – was a name used to identify the most important of the ancient cities named Hybla in Sicily.
Controversy
There is much debate as to which of t ...
with an admixture of locational and historic information from both Hybla Gereatis
Hybla Gereatis (Greek: ), was an ancient city of Sicily, located on the southern slope of Mount Etna, not far from the river Symaethus, in the modern ''comune'' of Paternò. There were at least three (and possibly as many as five) cities named " ...
and Megara Hyblaea
Megara Hyblaea ( grc, Μέγαρα Ὑβλαία) – perhaps identical with Hybla Major – is an ancient Greek colony in Sicily, situated near Augusta on the east coast, north-northwest of Syracuse, Italy, on the deep bay formed by the Xip ...
. Caution should therefore be used when assuming reference to "Hybla" in an ancient source refers to this city.
History
Hybla Heraea is called by
Stephanus of Byzantium "Hybla the Less or Hybla the Least" (), in distinction to
Hybla Major Hybla Major or Hybla Maior or Hybla Magna ( Greek: = Hybla Megálē) – the "Greater Hybla" – was a name used to identify the most important of the ancient cities named Hybla in Sicily.
Controversy
There is much debate as to which of t ...
and
Hybla Minor, and surnamed Hera or Heraea (, ). Of the cities of Sicily bearing the name "Hybla", it is much the least known from ancient sources. No allusion to it is found in
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to:
*Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium''
*Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC
* Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...
, where he is distinguishing
Hybla Major Hybla Major or Hybla Maior or Hybla Magna ( Greek: = Hybla Megálē) – the "Greater Hybla" – was a name used to identify the most important of the ancient cities named Hybla in Sicily.
Controversy
There is much debate as to which of t ...
from
Hybla Minor, nor in any of the geographers: but we find in the Itineraries a town of Hybla, placed on the line of road from
Syracuse to Agrigentum (modern
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one o ...
, which is certainly distinct from both Hybla Major and Minor (and from
Megara Hyblaea
Megara Hyblaea ( grc, Μέγαρα Ὑβλαία) – perhaps identical with Hybla Major – is an ancient Greek colony in Sicily, situated near Augusta on the east coast, north-northwest of Syracuse, Italy, on the deep bay formed by the Xip ...
and
Hybla Gereatis
Hybla Gereatis (Greek: ), was an ancient city of Sicily, located on the southern slope of Mount Etna, not far from the river Symaethus, in the modern ''comune'' of Paternò. There were at least three (and possibly as many as five) cities named " ...
which may equate with them), and can therefore be no other than the third Hybla of Stephanus. It was situated, according to the Itineraries, 18 miles from Acrae (modern
Palazzolo). (
Itin. Ant. p. 89;
Tab. Peut.). A passage in which
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
speaks of a town called "Hera", in Sicily (''ad Att.'' ii. 1. § 5), has been thought to refer to this town; but the reading is very doubtful.
See also
*
List of ancient Greek cities
Notes
References
*
{{Archaeological sites in Sicily
Ancient cities in Sicily
Roman towns and cities in Italy
Province of Ragusa
Former populated places in Italy
Archaeological sites in Sicily
it:Storia di Ragusa#Ragusa città stato