Ever since we were children, we have all heard about the ancient city-state of Sparta. We have read about it in books and watched films. Sparta seems to us a big, powerful, invincible city, where the great Spartans led by King Leonidas live, and children, almost from the earliest years, participated in battles. They were given to a military school from the age of 7, and at birth, if the child was recognized as weak, they were thrown off a cliff.
I have long been interested in visiting that place and looking at what is left of the city, to feel the spirit of Sparta. We passed this city when we visited the Mystras ruins, even took a photo of Leonidas, but missed exploring the city itself. So, today we decided to do it.
Myths and legends of Ancient Greece accompany us throughout our life here. Sparta is located closer to the south of the peninsula, surrounded by olive and orange orchards. In modern Sparta there is a stadium, an acropolis with an ancient theater, the ruins of the temple of Artemis (here the Beautiful Helen performed the dance of the little bears). But let's be laconic, like the ancient Spartans.
Sparta in ancient times was one of the most important military and political centers in the Peloponnese. Most of its inhabitants in those days were slaves, and the word “Sparta” itself has long become a common noun and means a strict and even cruel upbringing of young men. In modern Sparta, everything is not so harsh. About 18 thousand people live here, who are mainly engaged in agriculture - growing citrus fruits and olives. Modern Spartans are very careful about their rich history, however, few attractions have been preserved here: an ancient theater, temple ruins and a small archaeological museum.
In fact, it is now a small town, living its quiet, measured life, without any attractions. The ancient ruins are located on the outskirts of the Sparta town. Trusting the navigator, we turned off the freeway and crossed the town.
The first thing we visited was the monument to King Leonidas. Although he doesn’t look like the aggressive bearded man played by Gerard Butler, he is big and pretentious, and it’s a shame not to take a photo in front of him, which is what most tourists do.
But personally, I was more impressed by the monument located on the boulevard nearby. This is a marble slab with the names of all the Olympic champions from ancient times who were born in Sparta. Several thousand years passed, and their descendants are still proud of them. I never envy, so I take my hat off with respect.
The laws of Sparta prescribed that boys and girls with certain physiological parameters should marry, so that the offspring would be not only viable, but also strong and beautiful. And the citizens of Sparta were not supposed to be fatter than prescribed by state laws. The most surprising thing is that numerous chronicles and literary sources indicate that the population of this city-state was happy and content with life.
Not far from the monument are the ruins of the city itself. We parked right at the entrance. There were no cars. We went behind the gate and along the path went to the remains of an ancient city. Entry is free.
If you think that there is much preserved from ancient Sparta, I hasten to disappoint you. The thing is that the Spartans of antiquity, unlike the rest of the Greeks, did not strive for beauty and actually lived in a military camp.
Excavations are like excavations, no worse than anywhere else. Well, maybe a little less of the “ground” parts have survived. But the crowd of people does not press you from all sides. And under the old olive trees growing on the space there are picturesque benches where it’s good to sit in the shade and think about the eternal. Not so great, but you can feel the history of the place and excellent views of the surrounding mountains.
We saw the ancient amphitheater of Sparta in its natural form. The hand of the restorers has not yet touched it. The Spartan amphitheater looks pretty destroyed. But the beauty is that it was not embellished and it retained its original appearance.
Near Sparta, there is an ancient city, the Mystras. During the construction of Mystras, they actively used materials from the ruins of ancient Sparta. All that is left of Sparta looks deplorable.
After walking around for about an hour, we headed to the car. But I did not regret coming here, although I was disappointed to see what was left of a great state. As I always wanted to see ancient Sparta, I had no reasons to be disappointed.
Next, our stop for a short walk and lunch - a new city, Sparta. Well, today's Sparta is a modern non-tourist city with a rather boring neighborhood layout. There is, however, an archaeological museum in the city, and we headed straight to it.
Unfortunately, the modern city of Sparta cannot please history buffs with unique treasures related to ancient culture. Perhaps the exhibits in the Archaeological Museum, and not the particularly picturesque ruins on the edge of the city, will tell something about the former greatness of Sparta.
The museum looks considerable small, but its exhibits are enough interesting and somehow unique. There are ritual ceramic masks, which are worn during the festivities. I have never seen such masks anywhere else, although I have visited many museums in Greece. If you have already arrived in Sparta, then it’s worth visiting the museum.
However, there is another unique must-see attraction in the city: the very rock from which courageous Spartans threw frail babies - this is how they helped nature carry out natural selection.
Sparta has a simple layout - block-by-block, and most of the streets intersect at right angles, so the likelihood of getting lost in search of a museum there is much lower than in the narrow medieval streets of some more authentic town. The center of Sparta is neat and pleasant, which is not very typical for a non-Greek resort city. There are even very nice boulevards with palm trees.
If you are tired of sights with crowds of tourists, it’s quite possible to walk around Sparta for half an hour or an hour - maybe you’ll catch something there too.
After our lunch, we searched for the tomb of King Leonidas. To our surprise, it looked just like the pictures - a small site with a big meaning. Not a lot to see: no plaque, just some stones stacked on each other. And I understand it is basically a guess that this might be the tomb of the famous King Leonidas. But the idea that this is where his body was brought back from Thermopylae and honored with a big statue still makes this special. And the local square around it gives it life. Only for true connoisseurs.
I expected more from Sparta. The city is ordinary, modern, although provincial. It is better to read history to understand and appreciate ancient Sparta.
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