tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post6300709523827098377..comments2023-11-02T10:22:20.717-04:00Comments on Mike Anderson's Ancient History Blog: Reflections on a Visit to Ancient SpartaMike Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02072553719998549925noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-54023098318113314562016-06-19T02:35:26.831-04:002016-06-19T02:35:26.831-04:00The professional and well-trained Spartan hoplites...The professional and well-trained Spartan hoplites with their distinctive red cloaks, long hair, and lambda-emblazoned shields were probably the best and most feared fighters in Greece, fighting with distinction at such key battles asThermopylae and Plataea in the early 5th century BCE. The city was also in constant rivalry with the other major Greek cities ofAthens and Corinth and became involved in two protracted and hugely damaging conflicts, the Peloponnesian Wars of the mid- to late 5th century BCE and the Corinthian Wars of in the early 4th century BCE. <a href="http://whistory.org" rel="nofollow">I liked your blog, Take the time to visit the me and say that the change in design and meniu?</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10405664942732517369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-15131528941751776092010-12-17T18:57:29.837-05:002010-12-17T18:57:29.837-05:00This is a very informative reflection..I too was p...This is a very informative reflection..I too was pretty surprised not to see more than those two shrines from the golden age of Sparta..Pretty valuable themselves thouguh.I only imagined was I standing on the site Pausanias the leader of Lakedaimonioi at Plateia died on..<br /><br />But I will also agree with Helena above,the countryside is magnificent.Such an atmosphere,like time stopped.Thank you for those rare pictures.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-80652067383256341032010-10-03T03:51:17.338-04:002010-10-03T03:51:17.338-04:00Mike,
Sounds like your experience was much like m...Mike,<br /><br />Sounds like your experience was much like my own - which I tried to describe in my entry on "A Night in Sparta" in my own blog (www.SpartaReconsidered.blogspot.com). The ruins are not only insignificant and uninspiring, but largely post-date Sparta's golden age in the 6th Century BC. But the countryside! What a revalation! My fascination with Sparta really started when I realized this society was not nurtured in a barren "spartan" environment, but developed in a cradle of stunning beauty and wealth. I've written several essays on this, including "In Search of Sparta" published in the Sparta Journal last January (Vol. 5, # 1); the essays can also be found on my website "Sparta Reconsidered" (http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/index)<br /><br />As for Thucydidas, he was an Athenian and his commentary reflects his bias. From Pausanius we know that in fact Classical and even Archaic Sparta was a vibrant city full of monuments, temples and public buildings. The fact that earthquakes and centuries of abandonment have destroyed much of the archeological record should not mislead us. After all, large parts of the Eurotas valley have never been studied archeologically, and much may yet come to light. For example, just this year a Spartan temple was discovered on Kythera. Yet even what has been found has helped shatter many misconceptions (such as widespread illiteracy). <br /><br />Last but not least, thanks for the photos.Helena P. Schraderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06535398166485310212noreply@blogger.com