Inycum or Inycus (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

: , Steph. Byz., or , Herod., or either or , Plato.), was an ancient town of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, situated in the southwest of the island, on the river Hypsas (today the

Belice The Belice, , is a river of western Sicily. It is about long. From its main source near Piana degli Albanesi it runs south and west for as the Belice Destro ("right Belice") until it is joined near Poggioreale by its secondary branch, the Be ...

). It is principally known from its connection with the mythical legends concerning Minos and

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, a ...

; the capital of the

Sicani The Sicani (Ancient Greek Σῐκᾱνοί ''Sikānoí'') or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization. The Sicani dwelt east of the Elymians and west of the Sicels, having, ...

an prince Cocalus, who afforded a shelter to the fugitive Daedalus against the

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, an ...

monarch, being placed by some writers at Inycum, and by others at Camicus. ( Paus. vii. 4. § 6; Charax, ''ap.'' Steph. B. ''s. v.'' .) It is mentioned in historical times by

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...

as the place of confinement to which Scythes, the ruler of Zancle (modern Messina), was sent by

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...

, who had taken him prisoner. (Herod. vi. 23, 24.) Aelian, who copies the narrative of Herodotus, represents Scythes as a native of Inycum; but this is probably a mistake. (Ael. ''V. H.'' viii. 17.)

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

speaks of Inycum as still in existence in his time, but quite a small place (); notwithstanding which he makes the sophist

Hippias Hippias of Elis (; el, Ἱππίας ὁ Ἠλεῖος; late 5th century BC) was a Greek sophist, and a contemporary of Socrates. With an assurance characteristic of the later sophists, he claimed to be regarded as an authority on all subjects ...

boast that he had derived from it a sum of 20

minae The Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE, es, Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía) is a ministry or department of the government of Costa Rica. Agencies *SINAC National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC, es, Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Co ...

. (Plat. ''Hipp. M.'' p. 282, e.) It is evident that it always continued to be an inconsiderable place, and was probably a mere dependency of

Selinus Selinunte (; grc, Σελῑνοῦς, Selīnoûs ; la, Selīnūs , ; scn, Silinunti ) was a rich and extensive ancient Greek city on the south-western coast of Sicily in Italy. It was situated between the valleys of the Cottone and Modion ...

. Hence we never again meet with its name, though Stephanus tells us that this was still preserved on account of the excellence of its wine. (Steph. B. ''s. v.'' ; Aesych. ''s. v.'')

Vibius Sequester Vibius Sequester (active in the 4th or 5th century AD) is the Latin author of lists of geographical names. Work ''De fluminibus, fontibus, lacubus, nemoribus, gentibus, quorum apud poëtas mentio fit'' is made up of seven alphabetical lists of ...

is the only author that affords any clue to its position, by telling us that the river Hypsas (the modern

) flowed by it (Vib. Sequest. p. 12, according to Cluver's emendation); but further than this its site cannot be determined.

References

* {{coord missing, Italy Ancient cities in Sicily Former populated places in Italy