panorama

Sparta is a modern, typical Greek city. The Spartans of old left little in the way of ruins. If you visit Sparta today, you can see a very small museum of ancient history and a spiffy modern museum dedicated to the olive.

 

The Spartans were a pity lot - here are some of the sayings attributed to them.

King Leonides was the leader of the forces at Thermopylae. It wasn't just Spartans there, several other soldiers were represented.

Spartan soldiers earned their reputation for toughness and discipline and demonstrated those qualities over many years.

The archaeology museum here is old, not very dynamic and quite small. There is little to see in the way of classical ruins. Instead you might focus on the Museum of the Olive.

The olive is critical to Mediterranean cuisine. What you learn in this modern, well-appointed museum is how many different uses the olive had. They also sell a number of products derived from olives including some moisturizing lotion that many of us liked. (Image of old olive press and an olive tree.)

The main Orthodox church in town is quite striking on the inside. This is located across the street from the Archeological Museum.

The countryside around Sparta is quite hilly, providing the real 'walls' of the ancient city.

Last modified 2/19/19; posted 9/17/12. Original content © 2019, 2012 John P. Nordin