What can I say about the feared Spartan warriors famous for their tradition of throwing infants into mountain valleys? Whose women were renowned throughout Greece for their sexual prowess and aggressive training and education? For a tribe whose leader, Leonides, led a group of 300 soldiers who held back an entire Persian Army? I’d say, don’t follow guide books, Sparta is worth a day of exploring :)
When we arrived in Sparta the only thing I really wanted to see was Artemis’ temple. History tells us the Spartans worshipped Artemis, which is not surprising as she was the goddess of the hunt and of wilderness... But she was also the goddess of protection, birth and healing. Before every battle the Spartans would stop outside their city and sacrifice at least 50 goats in her honour. At first, none of our guides knew about this temple, which was odd. But I was lucky enough to ask one of our day guides at Agamemnon’s tomb, and she let me know that the temple was still in existence, and it was within walking distance from our hotel - HOORAY!!
After checking in, Silvia, Ken and I went on the hunt (hahaha). First we stopped at the statue of Leonides which stood at the edge of town in front of a stadium. Then we started our search for what the signs called ‘Ancient Sparta’. The amazingly interesting thing about this town is that it's built on top of ancient Sparta. Which means that many of the ruins show up in the middle of streets, between houses etc. We found a cobbled road aligned with olive trees and decided to follow it. Luckily it led us to our destination. Ancient Sparta is partially excavated with bits and pieces at the top of an Acropolis (hill). I can only describe it as eerie… the mountains are beautiful and fearsome… the olive trees grow in fields, and I could easily imagine how the Spartans became such stoic warriors just by being in this atmosphere. On the hill we found ruins of a theatre, and many towers and fortress walls.
The forest on the hill was made even creepier by the distinct sound of buzzing... Ken and I were sure that the trees were full of bees, or other large insects, but Silvia maintained that the sound was from the wind blowing through power lines which surrounded the bottom of the hill... we weren’t convinced, but the sound made the eerie atmosphere even stranger LOL.
Once we came down the hill I was determined to find the temple of Artemis Orthia. Ken needed to do laundry so he left us, and Silvia and I bumped into some young German guys who were on a road trip through Greece. Silvia speaks German, and they spoke a little English, so we managed to understand each other LOL. We asked them about the temple but they also had never heard of it, so after our ‘get to know you’ conversation, Silvia joined me on the hunt (LOL) for Artemis. I am lucky that Silvia is a seasoned traveller who speaks like 20 languages so she was easily able to approach strangers and ask for directions. Finally, we met a young Greek woman who knew where the sanctuary was and could direct us... her only caution was that the temple was in an olive grove and Greek gypsies were well known to live in groves such as this one. She told us we would be safe, but to make sure we didn’t indulge them is they came begging. Happy to have found directions, and a little weary about the warning, we manoeuvred around modern streets to find our destination.
We reached the temple with no sign of gypsies or any other people. It was enclosed by a high fence and a small kiosk where you could pay to get in. Unfortunately it was closed - Greeks close on Mon and Wed at 12pm, and on the other days usually by 3pm. But the fence was iron cast so I could see everything and stick my camera inside to take pics. Our search was so worth the trouble... to imagine the Spartans stopping here before battles and worship my favourite goddess... for me, it was definitely a reason to stop in Sparta.Our driver is Spartan and he stopped in the valley which legend claims is the place where Spartans threw children that were not ‘healthy’ or passed their inspection. Antonis (our driver) says the valley has been excavated but no bodies of babies were found (bones, I mean). However, they have found many bones of males apparently with their hands tied behind their backs - these were the bodies of rebels, as Spartans did not tolerate any challenge to authority. Apparently the legend of throwing babies into the valley is just that, legend. He also told me that Spartan women were known for their sexuality, and were able to take a lover even when married... hmmm... LOL.
Oh, and apparently they liked to let others know they had intimate relations by wearing their long hair down after a night of passion LMAO.
A culture worth reading about, and a city definitely worth stopping in. Next, Olympia and Delphi :) - naked men and oracles oh my!
XOXO
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