Category Archives: Greek Mainland

This isn’t Sparta

Even if you’re not as obsessed with Spartan lore and Greek history as I am, there are some really good reasons to visit this area of the Peloponnese. Like Mystras, for Pete’s sake, it’s only 6km from Sparta.

You must go to Mystras. If you don’t go to Mystras, I will track you down and drag you to Ioannina to eat cheese pies with me next to that smelly lake. We’ll see how well you follow my orders advice after that.

Mystras ia a ruin of an old Byzantine town that absolutely flourished during its time. A school of humanistic philosophy was founded here that revived the teachings of Plato and Pythagoras, and attracted intellectuals from every corner of Byzantium. This all ended when Mystras fell to the marauding Ottoman Turks. It was revived under the Venetians, only to suffer another fall to the Turks. There was no end to the trials of Mystras: the Russians burned it, the Albanians sacked it, and Ibrahim Pasha took a torch to what was left in 1825.

It’s an absolute delight to explore. What with churches, libraries, strongholds, castles, palaces and walls in various states of ruin, you’ll feel like you’re in a dream involving St. George and a dragon.

People, you must go to Mystras. It’s like Pompeii but much, much better. I want to live there. I spoke to a nun at the Convent of Pantanassa, which was difficult considering she couldn’t speak any English and my Greek is minimal (she has 5 sisters in Boston), but I couldn’t make her understand that I wanted to live there. Currently there are only 3 nuns living in Mystras. I think my being a big ole blasphemer might be a deal-breaker.

The first church I walked into, the Church of Ayioi Theodori, took my breath away and then made me cry. No worries, though, I have the loveliest condition known to mankind: Stendhal’s Syndrome. Holy places and ancient sites get to me, but museums really go to my head. I’ve been known to faint, cry and vomit (Max Beckmann exhibit) in them.

The great thing about Mystras is that you can actually roam around freely. Even though it’s a World Heritage-listed site, nothing is roped off, no warning signs to stay away and not touch. Greek sites give their visitors a lot of freedom. This can’t last much longer – you should go now. Take me with you.

The Taygetos Mountains are to the east of Sparta. I drove across the Langada Pass and bought oregano from the woman pictured below, because she looked like she really needed someone to buy oregano from her:

This is the mountain in the Taygetos where the Spartans left their less-than-perfect newborns to die:

Gytheion is the ancient port of Sparta, but most of Ancient Gytheion lies under the waters of the Lakonian gulf.

The ancient theatre of Gytheion is fenced off and the only view is through the parking lot of a Greek military building. The building is guarded by a pack of Rottweiler-type dogs, so go at your own risk.

Not far from Sparta, you’ll find Monemvasia – the Gibralter of Greece — a fabulous Byzantine town in the process of being resurrected:

Whoever designed the cupola of this church was not focused on the sweet hereafter:

I’m in Pireaus now, the port of Athens, waiting for my ferry back to the Cyclades and the start of the second part of my journey through Greece. I’ll be revisiting a couple of islands I was especially fond of, and taking a short trip to the island I visit every time I come here.

Hope you’re all having a great summer!

Thwarted…

Meteora

This is Sparta

2 Replies

sparta-greece-diamastigosis-peloponnese-grafitti

That's Sparta to you, baby.

I’ve been here before.

About eight years ago, I was on my way from Delphi to Ancient Olympia and had to change buses in Sparta. I’d read that New Sparta wasn’t much to look at and this is quite true — it’s a dirty, concrete block, grid city with insufferable traffic and too many stores selling cheap Chinese goods.

Modern Spartans bear no relation or lineage to the iron-willed invincibles who came before them and who earned the right to be called a Spartan by shedding blood. Ancient Spartans were barred by law from trade or manufacture and led lives of discipline, self-denial, simplicity, and let’s not forget– brutality. Their way of life discouraged the accumulation of riches and the discipline of the phalanx demanded that no soldier be superior to his comrades.

Modern Sparta is sluggish, indulgent, spendthrift, and focused on commerce… Leonidas is turning over in his grave.

Leonidas

His tomb.

After centuries of dirt and earth accumulating over the paths once trod by warriors in red cloaks, King Otto of Greece decided to rebuild the abandoned city in 1834. Ancient Sparta lies buried beneath a lackluster town that whispers nothing of its former glory. Yet, maybe this is as it should be. Unlike Athens, Sparta wasn’t a top tourist destination in the ancient world anymore than it is today.

Ancient Sparta saw no need for towers or grand structures to impress visitors. Its distance from the sea, along with the natural barriers formed by mountains in the east and west made a sudden attack unlikely. For centuries, it was madness for any rival to willingly meet a Spartan warrior in battle. The citizens of Sparta were the city’s wall and its glory; their city could not have been more impregnable if it were encased in stone.

As long as you keep all this in mind when you visit Sparta, and take a walk 200 meters from the center, you won’t be disappointed.

The ruins of Ancient Sparta lie just outside the modern city center. If you have a keen imagination and can pick up the essence of what once was, you won’t be disappointed.

Even if you just love olive trees, you won’t be disappointed. When I visited the site I was the only person walking among the ruins; just me, the crickets, groves of olive trees, a few crumbling ruins, and a vivid imagining of what came before me.

sparta-greece-diamastigosis-peloponnese-acropolis-ancient-theater

Acropolis and theatre of Ancient Sparta, with olive grove, New Sparta and Taygetos Mtns. in background.

If you don’t fit any of the above, you’ll be disappointed.

Brutal Diana and her Whipping Boys:

I’ve always thought of the goddess Artemis (or Diana to the Romans) as the “Goddess On The Go”. She’s the huntress and throughout history has been depicted as if she were about to take flight — flimsy tunic fluttering behind her. She’s also the goddess of fruitfulness and childbirth, and I think it’s so appropriate that my sister was named after her, seeing as how she had a bunch of children and all. (4)

sparta-greece-diamastigosis-peloponnese-sanctuary-artemis-orthia

Sanctuary to Artemis Orthia

The ancients sought to honor another aspect of Artemis–Artemis Orthia–through some horrifyingly brutal practices. The Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia was where Sparta’s infamous whipping contests were held to honor the goddess. In these barbaric “games”, adolescent boys, uncomplainingly and urged on by their families, leaned against the altar and underwent diamastigosis or public flogging. There are accounts of boys perishing on the altar but this is a point of debate among modern scholars, as many believe Sparta had too few soldiers to spare. The boys were expected to keep a Spartan silence throughout the entire ritual, and most of them would have chosen death rather than fail this test in front of their parents. Those who remained standing until the end were rewarded as altar victors.

It boggles the mind and goes against every natural and protective instinct a parent would normally possess, but this was Sparta.

Cape Sounion

Blood Feud: The Mani

Sparta: Leonidas and the Brave 300

Blood Feud: The Mani

6 Replies

If you’re familiar with the map of Greece, you’ve probably guessed that I’m back on the mainland and making my way east across the Peloponnese. I’ll be spending a week or so exploring Messinia and Lakonia, and although I’ve been to the Peloponnese before, I’ve added it to my list of places to come back to. It seems I never have enough time to see all the historically important sites: Arkadia, Ancient Corinth, the Theatre of Epidaurus.

If you ever decide to go to the Peloponnese, start your trip with Ancient Olympia — you won’t be sorry. Don’t forget to test your sprinting time on the ancient track, where a groove has been worn in the stones for you to place your heel. Some tourists actually don’t run down the track, or place a crown of laurel leaves on their head when they finish. I don’t understand them.

I rented a car for a few days and drove around the rugged and remote Mani peninsula in the south. As soon as I entered the area and began seeing villages like those pictured below, I knew I was somewhere special.

Mani villages are made up of distinctive tower houses, built as far back as the 15th century. Looking at the towers, you’d think you were in San Gimignano, but this isn’t San Gimignano, this is Greece where houses are usually built low to the ground as protection against the sun. Why would Greeks build homes like this so far from Tuscany?

I thought you’d never ask.

Mr. Nyklian builds his dream house:

The Mani peninsula’s remote location made it a place of escape or refuge. The families who settled here became very clan-like, fighting bitterly for the best and most fertile areas of land. The Nyklian clan was dominant and initially they alone had the right to build tower houses on their property. Eventually other families began to build towers as well, with each family trying to outdo the others in height.

The tower houses were used for both defense and attack. The taller the tower, the easier it was to fire down on enemies through narrow slits in the windows. Blood feuds were a way of life so the towers were constructed as high as possible to serve as a refuge.

Menfolk be so crazy sometimes:

For centuries the Maniots were a law unto themselves. If one family offended another or killed someone, a blood feud began, heralded by the ringing of church bells and a retreat by the respective families into their towers. I have to confess that there is a part of me that would really love to see something like this.

Capulets and Montagues ain’t got nothin’ on the Maniots.

The sense of honor was so great, feuds often lasted for years and were passed down to younger generations. The towers were kept stocked by Maniot women, who were protected and could continue to bring food into the towers for the men. A truce was called during every harvest — I guess there was no point in fighting over land if you couldn’t reap the benefits.

The people of the Mani regard themselves as direct descendants of the Spartans. After Sparta fell to the Thebans in 371BC, citizens loyal to Sparta’s constitution withdrew to the mountains rather than serve under foreign masters. Other refugees eventually joined these people and they became known as Maniots, from the Greek word mania.

The reputation of the people of the inner Mani was so fierce, many would-be occupiers opted to leave them alone rather than risk a battle.

Kita — the name sounds so cute:

The last great blood feud took place in 1870 in the town of Kita and was stopped only by the intervention of the Greek Army. The army had to use artillery, and eventually a truce was forced upon the Maniots.

The story of the Mani is the most awesome thing I’ve learned on this trip thus far, and now I need to know everything about them. I kept asking for English language books on the Mani in bookstores, but everyone seemed to be out. Luckily the Library of Congress is just a metro ride away from my home in DC.

mani-greece-lakonia-pelponnese-modern-maniot-home

The house that Barney Rubble built: Mani modern looks like something out of the Flinstones.

Wild at heart, kept in cages:

Today, many of the tower houses have been turned into boutique hotels, and the Maniots occupy themselves with selling really fragrant honey and serving frothy coffee frappes. Many Mani towers still dot the countryside in a derelict state, just waiting for one of my friends to begin a renovation project.