Excavating the Spartans

John Wilkes

doi:10.5334/ai.0108

Abstract

Few ancient Greek place names are so embedded in Western consciousness as Sparta, evoking as it does courage, harsh training, stern duty and endurance. By the 2nd century AD it had become a heritage centre admired by visiting Romans, and it flourished again in the Byzantine period. The Institute has been involved in new excavations at Sparta since 1989.

Highlights

Few ancient Greek place names are so embedded in Western the time of the Flavians the city began to consciousness as Sparta, evoking as it does courage, harsh training, stern duty and endurance
Within the ancient Greek world, Spar tan military prowess was more feared than admired, but universal and everlasting fam e was achieved by an event in 480 BC, when a force of 300 Spartans and Boeotian Thes pians under Leonidas, one ofthe two kings of Sparta, laid down their lives at the nar rows of Thermopylae by holding back the great army of Xerxes, King of Persia, in order that the forces of the other Greeks could escape to safety
The coming of the Romans had for the Spartans none of the horrors experienced by so many Greek communities; no army came to lay siege and plunder the city, as happened to Athens in the time of Sulla, and nor were its treasuries looted for the war chests of Roman generals in the civil wars

Summary

Introduction

Few ancient Greek place names are so embedded in Western the time of the Flavians the city began to consciousness as Sparta, evoking as it does courage, harsh training, stern duty and endurance.

Results

Conclusion