Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "ELOS Ancient city LACONIA".
A town in Laconia, on the coast, in a marshy situation, whence its name (helos=marsh). It was commonly said that the Spartan slaves called Helotes (Heilotes), were originally the Achaean inhabitants of this town who were reduced by the Dorian conquerors to slavery.
A town of Laconia, situated east of the mouth of the Eurotas, close to the sea, in a plain which, though marshy near the coast, is described by Polybius as the most fertile part of Laconia. (Polyb. v. 19.) In the earliest times it appears to have been the chief town on the coast, as Amyclae was in the interior; for these two places are mentioned together by Homer (Il. ii. 584, Hymn. in Apoll. 410). Helos is said to have been founded by Heleius, the youngest son of Perseus. On its conquest by the Dorians its inhabitants were reduced to slavery; and, according to a common opinion in antiquity, their name became the general designation of the Spartan bondsmen, but the name of these slaves (heilotes) probably signified captives, and was derived from the root of helein. (Pans. iii. 20. § 6: the account differs a little in Strab. viii. p. 365, and Athen. vi. p. 265, c.) In the time of Strabo Helos was only a village; and when it was visited by Pausanias, it was in ruins. (Strab. viii. p. 363; Paus. iii. 22. § 3: Helos is also mentioned by Thuc. iv. 54; Xen. Hell. vi. 5. § 32; Steph. B. s. v.) Leake conjectures that Helos may have stood at Priniko, since this place is distant from Trinisa, the ancient Trinasus, about 80 stadia, which, according to Pausanias, was the distance between these two places; but we learn from the French Commission that Priniko contains only ruins of the middle ages, and that there are some Hellenic remains a little more to the east near Bizani, which is therefore probably the site of Helos. The name of Helos is still given to the plain of the lower Eurotas.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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