PeloPonneseL A K O N I APeloPonneseACTIVITIESPeloPonneseS P Ar T AFrom the main cobbled road, a footpath
runs left (west) through olive groves to the
2nd- or 3rd-century-BC ancient theatre, a
few steps and seats of which are still visible
along the overgrown half-circle.
The main road leads north to the fenced-
off acropolis, passing the Byzantine Church
of Christ the Saviour on the way to the
6000 BC Sanctuary of Athena Halkioitou on
a small hillock. Some of the most important
finds in the town’s archaeological museum
were unearthed here.
If you follow the Tripoli-bound road north
of town, a signposted path leads downhill to
the remains of the Sanctuary of Artemis
Orthia; this is where Spartan boys were
flogged, the bravest awarded bronze sickles
that they dedicated to the goddess.Archaeological Museum MuSEuM
(%27310 28575; cnr Lykourgou & Agiou Nikonos;
adult €2; h8am-3pm Tue-Sun) Sparta’s old-style
archaeological museum hosts artefacts fromSparta’s illustrious past, many unlabelled
and most without any protective covering.
You may spot a votive sickle of the kind that
Spartan boys dedicated to Artemis Orthia,
reliefs featuring Helen and Menelaus (and
Helen with Paris), bronze and lead votive
figurines, heads and torsos of various dei-
ties, a statue thought to be King Leonidas,
votive terracotta masks and grave stelae.
Fine mosaics from Hellenistic and Roman
Sparta are also on show.2 Activities
Spartathlon SPOrTS
(www.spartathlon.gr; hSep) This gruelling an-
nual foot race takes place over the 246km
between Athens and Sparta. It follows in
the footsteps of Pheidippides, the messenger
who ran from Athens to Sparta in one day in
490 BC, to ask for the Spartans’ assistance in
the battle of Marathon against the Persians.
The record currently stands at 20 hours and
25 minutes.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000006
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