Sparta and the Byzantine Settlement of Mystras
The Spartans – The Battle of Thermopylae
Recently my travels around the Peloponnese have been plagued by bad weather, namely, torrential rain, so when the chance arose to visit Sparta, I didn’t jump at it!
Then I had second thoughts and had a look at the weather forecast, I’m not one to easily let the opportunity of a trip pass me by, lo and behold, there was a little picture of the sun, so, we set off on the road to Sparta, home of the fearless Spartans, home of Leonidas and his three hundred.
This is Sparta
Bronze statue of Leonidas, King of Sparta, who with his 300 men fought the Persian army at Thermopylae in 480 BC, located near the entrance to the archaeological site of ancient Sparta.
Sparta is the capital of the Laconia region of the Peloponnese and lies in the Eurotas River valley under the Eastern foothills of Mount Taygetos and was one of the most prominent city-states in ancient Greece from the Mycenaean bronze age period through to the Hellenistic period.
Mount Taygetos
Sparta, the leader of the Hellenic forces during the Greco-Persian Wars of 480 BC and arch enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War, from which it emerged victorious, underwent a decline after the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC.
By 13th century, raids by roaming tribes, caused the inhabitants of Sparta to leave their exposed city and the political and cultural center relocated to the Byzantine settlement of Mystras, a fortified town, with a castle for protection, 4 km to the west.
Although ancient Sparta, (named Lacedaemonia), continued to exist; only a few thousand people lived among the ruins.
Riuns of ancient Sparta, with modern day Sparta and Mount tayetos in the distance.
The modern city was built on the site of ancient Sparta in 1834, in the neo-classical style, up until then, the inhabitants of the area lived in the ruins of the nearby Byzantine city of Mystras.
The center of the modern day Sparta with the town hall
The making of Spartan warriors
By the fifth century, Sparta, a militarist state, was the most powerful nation in all of Greece.
Soon after birth, male babies of Sparta, were bathed in wine, if they survived this, they were taken, by their fathers, to the elders, who decided if the child was strong enough to become a Spartan, if there were any visible defects, or the child looked weak, it was taken to mount Taygetos and left to die.
The selection of the infant Spartans by Giuseppe Diotti 1840
Children, until the age of seven were schooled at home, after that; they were educated by the state, the emphasis being on athletics and physical fitness.
Young Spartans Exercising, Edgar Degas, 1860
Women of Sparta
Spartan women, some of the most unique women of ancient Greece, had more freedom and were usually better educated in ancient Greece than women elsewhere in the Greek world, the thought being, that an educated women would produce strong, intelligent children.
Outside of Sparta, they had a reputation for promiscuity and controlling their husbands, unlike their Athenian counterparts; Spartan women could legally own and inherit property.
On going off to war, wives and mothers presented the men with a shield, saying the words; “he tan, he epi tas” (Ή τάν ή Επί τας) translated as; with this, or, upon this.
This meant, come home with your shield, in other words, there were only two ways to return from war; victorious or dead!
Spartan Mother and Son, Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, 1771
King Leonidas of Sparta
In 480, King Leonidas of Sparta (540 BC – 480 BC), led his three hundred warriors against the Persians at The Battle of Thermopyle and when Xerxes (King of the Persians) demanded the Greeks surrender their arms, Leonidas replied Μολών Λαβέ (“Come and get them”), triumphed, against all odds and became a legend.
King Leonides and his Spartans “Come and get them!”
Even today, the people hailing from Sparta, Mani and surrounding regions, still maintain the reputation of being wild, strong and fearless.
On the road to Sparta
Back to my trip, the landscape on the way to Sparta is mountains, lots of them, covered mainly with pine and cypress trees, if you don’t much care for mountains (me for example!) it can be rather monotonous but the picturesque villages and towns, when you reach them, do make it all worthwhile.
On the road to Sparta
Today, being early spring, the scenery was quite colourful, rows and rows of almond trees were in blossom giving a pale pink hue to everything.
On the road to Sparta. Almond trees in blossom.
Wisps of blue smoke could be seen heading skywards; olive farmers, pruning their trees, were burning the cast off branches.
Passing a tiny village, nestling in the mountains, on the way to Sparta.
Once in Sparta, we decided to forego the town, we know it well, my son was stationed there whilst doing his national service; many a weekend, were spent there, visiting him.
Soldier Johnny – Sparta
We would visit Mystras instead, a small town, situated on Mount Taygetos.
Here, a Byzantine fortress and the palace of Prince William II Villehardouin (a grand-nephew of the Fourth Crusade historian Geoffrey of Villehardouin) tower above Sparta.
Byzantine settlement of Mystras
Mystras, or, Mistras, the last centre of Byzantine scholarship, is a fortified town in Laconia, Peloponnese, located on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta.
Mystras was the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea (Peloponnese), in the 14th and 15th centuries, a prosperous settlement, which remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period.
The Venetians occupied Mystras from 1687 to 1715 but otherwise the Ottomans held it until the beginning of the Greek War of Independence (1821).
Mystras, 1686.
Mystras, often mistaken by travellers for ancient Sparta, was abandoned in the 1830s and the new town of Sparta was built nearby under the orders of King Otto .
In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mystras
We drove, in sunshine, through the lovely little town of Mystras, onwards and upwards towards the ruins and the archaeological site, the higher we got, the gloomier the sky looked!
Road up to Mystras
Modern village of Mystras
On arriving at the top, we paid our five Euros and entered into another world, a mysterious, intriguing Byzantine world of arches, tunnels and passageways, the palace taking pride of place above us.
Palace of Prince William II Villehardouin Mystras
Byzantium Mystras Mystras
Mystras. Byzantine Church
Byzantium Mystras Mystras
Wherever you turned, or so it seemed, there in front of you, were well-preserved Byzantine churches and monasteries.
Some of them contain the most wonderful wall paintings.
Byzantium Mystras Mystras
The frescos in the Peribleptos Monastery Church, Mystras, dating between 1348 and 1380, are a very rare surviving examples of late Byzantine art.
Byzantium Mystras
Mystras
By now, the sky had darkened considerably and I was sure that I had felt a spot or two of rain but we pressed on.
Soon, we couldn’t ignore it any longer; it was raining, really raining, not being organised but rather optimistic, we had no umbrella, nor were we wearing clothes or footwear suitable for a downpour, there was nothing for it, we had to turn back.
Once more, my foray into the Southern Peloponnese had been thwarted by rain!
Me, getting rather wet!
I just know, that once home, my family, who laugh every time I head off towards Morea (The medieval name for the Peloponnese), will ask me: “Did it rain?”
They will be happy with my affirmative reply!
