Editing Sparta (section)

==Archaeology of the classical period==
[[File:Ancient sparta theater.jpg|thumb|The theater of ancient Sparta with [[Taygetus|Mt. Taygetus]] in the background.]]
[[Thucydides]] wrote:

<blockquote>Suppose the city of Sparta to be deserted, and nothing left but the temples and the ground-plan, distant ages would be very unwilling to believe that the power of the Lacedaemonians was at all equal to their fame.  Their city is not built continuously, and has no splendid temples or other edifices; it rather resembles a group of villages, like the ancient towns of Hellas, and would therefore make a poor show.<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Sparta |volume=25 |pages=609–14 |inline=1 |first=Marcus Niebuhr |last=Tod |author-link=Marcus Niebuhr Tod}}</ref><ref>Thucydides, i. 10</ref></blockquote>

Until the early 20th century, the chief ancient buildings at Sparta were the [[Theatre of ancient Greece|theatre]], of which, however, little showed above ground except portions of the [[retaining wall]]s; the so-called Tomb of [[Leonidas]], a quadrangular building, perhaps a temple, constructed of immense blocks of stone and containing two chambers; the foundation of an ancient bridge over the Eurotas; the ruins of a circular structure; some remains of late Roman [[fortification]]s; several brick buildings and [[Mosaic|mosaic pavements.]]<ref name=EB1911/>

The remaining archaeological wealth consisted of inscriptions, sculptures, and other objects collected in the local museum, founded by Stamatakis in 1872 and enlarged in 1907. Partial [[Archaeology|excavation]] of the round building was undertaken in 1892 and 1893 by the [[American School of Classical Studies at Athens|American School at Athens]]. The structure has been since found to be a semicircular retaining wall of Hellenic origin that was partly restored during the Roman period.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:The remains of the Temple of Artemis Orthia in Sparta on 15 May 2019.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of the Temple of Artemis Orthia]]
In 1904, the [[British School at Athens]] began a thorough exploration of [[Laconia]], and in the following year excavations were made at [[Thalamae (Laconia)|Thalamae]], [[Geronthrae]], and Angelona near [[Monemvasia]]. In 1906, excavations began in Sparta itself.<ref name=EB1911/>

A "small circus" (as described by [[William Martin Leake|Leake]]) proved to be a theatre-like building constructed soon after 200&nbsp;AD around the altar and in front of the [[Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia|Temple of Artemis Orthia]]. It is believed that musical and gymnastic contests took place here, as well as the famous flogging ordeal administered to Spartan boys (''[[Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia#Diamastigosis|diamastigosis]]''). The temple, which can be dated to the 2nd century BC, rests on the foundation of an older temple of the 6th century, and close beside it were found the remains of a yet earlier temple, dating from the 9th or even the 10th century. The [[votive offering]]s in clay, amber, bronze, ivory and lead dating from the 9th to the 4th centuries BC, which were found in great profusion within the precinct range, supply invaluable information about early Spartan art.<ref name=EB1911/>

[[File:The last remaining section of wall thats surrounded ancient Sparta.jpg|thumb|Remaining section of wall that surrounded ancient Sparta]]
In 1907, the location of the sanctuary of [[Athena]] "of the Brazen House" (Χαλκίοικος, Chalkioikos) was determined to be on the [[acropolis]] immediately above the theatre. Though the actual temple is almost completely destroyed, the site has produced the longest extant archaic inscription in Laconia, numerous bronze nails and plates, and a considerable number of votive offerings. The [[city-wall]], built in successive stages from the 4th to the 2nd century, was traced for a great part of its circuit, which measured 48 stades or nearly {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=in}} (Polyb. 1X. 21). The late Roman wall enclosing the acropolis, part of which probably dates from the years following the Gothic raid of 262&nbsp;AD, was also investigated. Besides the actual buildings discovered, a number of points were situated and mapped in a general study of Spartan topography, based upon the description of [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]].<ref name=EB1911/>

In terms of domestic archaeology, little is known about Spartan houses and villages before the Archaic period, but the best evidence comes from excavations at [[Nichoria]] in [[Messenia (ancient region)|Messenia]] where postholes have been found. These villages were open and consisted of small and simple houses built with stone foundations and clay walls.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cavanagh|first=William|title=A COMPANION TO SPARTA|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|year=2018|volume=1|location=Hoboken USA|pages=62|chapter=An Archaeology of Ancient Sparta with Reference to Laconia and Messenia}}</ref>

===Menelaion===
{{main|Menelaion}}
[[File:The Menelaion (Sanctuary of Menelaus and Helen) in Sparta.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Menelaion]]]]
The [[Menelaion]] is a shrine associated with [[Menelaus]], located east of Sparta, by the river [[Evrotas (river)|Eurotas]], on the hill [[Taygetus|Profitis Ilias]] ([[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]: {{coord|37.0659|N|22.4536|E|type:landmark_region:GR_scale:500|display=inline}}). Built around the early 8th century BC, the Spartans believed it had been the former residence of Menelaus. In 1970, the British School in Athens started excavations around the Menelaion in an attempt to locate Mycenaean remains in the area. Among other findings, they uncovered the remains of two Mycenaean mansions and found the first offerings dedicated to [[Helen of Troy|Helen]] and Menelaus. These mansions were destroyed by [[earthquake]] and fire, and archaeologists consider them the possible palace of Menelaus himself.<ref>The British School at Athens, [http://www.bsa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=14&Itemid=101 Home].</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2017}}

[[Archaeological excavation|Excavations]] made from the early 1990s to the present suggest that the area around the Menelaion in the southern part of the Eurotas valley seems to have been the center of [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean Laconia]].<ref>''The Mycenaean presence in the southeastern Eurotas valley: Vouno Panagias and Ayios Georgios'', by Emilia Banou.</ref> The Mycenaean settlement was roughly triangular in shape, with its apex pointed towards the north. Its area was approximately equal to that of the "newer" Sparta, but [[denudation]] has wreaked havoc with its buildings and nothing is left of its original structures save for ruined foundations and broken [[Glossary of archaeology|potsherds]].<ref name=EB1911/>