Nymphis of Heraclea Pontica (Νύμφις ὁ Ἡρακλεώτης) was a historian from the Greek colony of Heraclea Pontica on the Black Sea, active in the early to mid-3rd century BCE. The son of Xenagoras, he was a friend of the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter, indicating a figure of status with connections to the Hellenistic royal courts [1]. His work reflects a local historiographical tradition centered on his native city and the wider Pontic region.

His major work was On Heraclea (Περὶ Ἡρακλείας), a history of his city in at least thirteen books covering its foundation and subsequent history [1]. This text survives only in fragments preserved by later authors like Athenaeus and Stephen of Byzantium [1].

Nymphis is significant as a representative of Hellenistic local history (horography). His On Heraclea served as a crucial source for later historians, most notably Memnon of Heraclea, thereby shaping the later historical understanding of the city and its interactions with neighboring powers [1].

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics (Oxford University Press): https://oxfordre.com/classics/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4492