Editing Laconia (section)

===Ancient===
{{Main|Sparta}}
[[File:Sparti in-river-Eurotas-valley flanked-by-Taygetos-mountains.jpg|thumb|The theater of ancient [[Sparta]] with modern Sparti and Taygetus in the background]]

Evidence of [[Neolithic]] settlement in southern Laconia has been found during excavations of the [[Alepotrypa cave]] site.<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=The Overlook Press |isbn=978-1-59020-837-3 |last=Cartledge |first=Paul |title=The Spartans |url=https://archive.org/details/spartansworldofw00cart |url-access=registration |date=26 May 2003 }}</ref> Significant archaeological recovery exists at the [[Vaphio|Vaphio-tomb]] site in Laconia. Found there is advanced [[Bronze Age]] art as well as evidence of cultural associations with the contemporaneous [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] culture on [[Crete]].<ref>C. Michael Hogan, [http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes ''Knossos fieldnotes'', ''Modern Antiquarian'' (2007)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711201424/http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes |date=11 July 2018 }}</ref> At the end of the Mycenean period, the population of Laconia sharply declined.<ref>[[Sarah B. Pomeroy]], Stanley M. Burstein and Walter Donlan (1998) ''Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History'', 512 pages, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-509742-4 }}</ref> In [[classical Greece]], Laconia was Spartan territory but from the 4th century BC onward Sparta lost control of various ports, towns and areas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cartledge |first1=Paul |title=Sparta and Lakonia : a regional history, 1300-362 B.C. |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=0415262763 |pages=228-259, 273-277 |edition=2nd }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cartledge |first1=Paul |title=Hellenistic and Roman Sparta : a tale of two cities |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=0415262771 |edition=2nd }}</ref> From the mid-2nd century BC until 395 AD, Laconia was a part of the [[Roman Empire]].