HELLENO´POLIS
HELLENO´POLIS (Ἑλληνόπολις), a town on the coast of the Propontis, on the south side of the Sinus Atacenus, and near the little river Draco. Its original name, which it bore until the time of the emperor Constantine, was Drepanum or Drepane (Δρέπανον, Δρεπάνη; Steph. B. sub voce Δμεπάνη; Etym. M. s.v. Amm. Marc. 26.8), and it was probably a place of little note; but, as it was the birthplace of Helena, the mother of Constantine, he changed its name into Hellenopolis, and enlarged the place by inducing many people of the neighbourhood to settle in it. (Hierocl. p. 691; Niceph. Callist. 7.49; Socrat. Hist. Eccles. 1.4, 18; Philostorg. Hist. Eccles. 2.13.) Afterwards the emperor Justinian also did much to increase the prosperity of the town (Procop. de Aed. 5.2); but it became, nevertheless, so reduced that it was called in mockery ἐλεεινοῦ πόλις (Glyc. Ann. p. 327). In its vicinity there existed mineral springs, in consequence of which Constantine often resided there during the latter years of his reign. (Sozom. Hist. Eccles. 2.34; Euseb. Vit. Const. 4.61.) The modern place called Hersek probably occupies the same site as the ancient Hellenopolis, and the ancient mineral springs seem to be those of Jalaikabad. (Leake, Asia Minor, pp. 9, foll.)[L.S]