The Heracleia (Greek: Ἡράκλεια ἐν Κυνοσάργει Herakleia en Kynosargei) were ancient festivals honoring the divine hero Heracles. The ancient Athenians celebrated the festival, which commemorated the death of Heracles, on the second day of the month of Metageitnion (which would fall in late July or early August), at the Cynosarges gymnasium at the demos Diomeia outside the walls of Athens, in a sanctuary dedicated to Heracles. His priests were drawn from the list of boys who were not full Athenian citizens . Many famous nothoi exercised there (such as Demosthenes) but it was probably not exclusively set aside for them.