Ancient Sparta

Thucydides predicted that if Sparta were deserted, future generations would refuse to believe it had ever been powerful, because it had no great temples or monuments; that prediction has held. The ancient city occupied low hills north of the modern town and its remains are modest: the cavea of a large Roman-era theatre cut into the acropolis slope, foundations of the sanctuary of Athena Chalkioikos, stretches of late walls added only in the Hellenistic period after centuries of relying on its army instead, and an early Christian basilica. Nearby, the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, where boys underwent ritual endurance tests, survives as a Roman amphitheatre-like enclosure. Olive trees grow across much of the site and the entrance is informal.

History

In the 6th century BC Sparta founded the Peloponnesian League and dominated most of the Peloponnese; in the second Persian invasion it led the Greek land forces at Thermopylae and Plataea under Leonidas and Pausanias, and it led the League to victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BC. Thucydides wrote that if the city were deserted, later ages would hardly believe its power matched its fame, for it was not built continuously and had no splendid temples, resembling a group of villages; until the early 20th century its main visible remains were the theatre, the so-called Tomb of Leonidas and the foundation of an ancient bridge over the Eurotas (Wikipedia, Sparta).

Highlights

• The Roman theatre - the largest visible structure, cut into the hillside.
• The Athena sanctuary - foundations on the acropolis high point.
• Artemis Orthia - the ritual sanctuary enclosure by the river.
• The Taygetos backdrop - the mountain wall rising west of the plain.

When to go

Spring for wildflowers among the ruins and clear mountain views; autumn for comfortable walking. Summer midday is hot and the site has patchy shade from the olives.

Things to know

There is very little standing, and visitors expecting a monumental Sparta are consistently disappointed; the archaeological museum in town carries much of the interest. Paths are unpaved and signage is thin. Artemis Orthia is often overgrown.

Nearby

Mystras, the Byzantine city, is 6 km west; the Menelaion and Taygetos trails lie around the plain.

Key facts