Date: April 17, 2005
Partners for the day: Neha Shetty and Nkosi Harvey Nkosi (text) Neha (images)
Site(s):Mistra, Artemis Orthia, Menelaion, Acropolis of Sparta
Museum(s): Sparta Museum and Mistra Museum
Principal Buildings/Monuments: Metropolis, Monemvasia Gate, Mistra Palace, St. Sophia church, Monastery of Pantanassa, Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, Temple of Menelaus and Helen and Mycenaean Mansion One
Time Spent on Each Site: from ca. 8 a.m. to ca. 4 p.m. [ __8__ hours]
Weather: Humid and Windy, Dust Storm, high 60s
Greetings and Salutations from your friendly FSP group. We had a busy day today in Sparta, starting off with a few medieval buildings and slowly working our way back through time to the Mycenaeans: first it was the Byzantines, then some classical and archaic sculpture, and finally some very old and weathered Mycenaean material. A dust storm, the lingering remains of a storm that rained mud the night before, kept us company throughout the day, but it was still comfortable weather (for the most part). We covered about 1000 years of history today, so I should probably get started.
Mistra, the first site of the day, was the major administrative site for the Byzantine Empire. It was chosen by the Byzantine Emperors because of its terrain, abundance of water and proximity to trade routes. The area was heavily built up in the period of between the 13th century and the 16th century. Not only was there a palace, but the remains of residential buildings, monasteries and fortification walls covered the landscape. While walking I counted no less than seventeen independent architectural structures. There were several churches including St. Sophia church, Monastery of Pantanassa (which has recently been converted into a convent), Metropolis, and St. Theodoroi. They are all beautiful examples of Byzantine architecture and painting techniques. The Palace was by far the largest building (especially since they have recently done some reconstructions and added 1˝ stories). We then climbed to the top of the “hill”; unfortunately visibility was low and we weren’t able to view the snow capped mountains in the distance. Our spirits were lifted, however, as we came down into the monastery, now a convent, and were able to play with some very friendly cats.
We left the site at 12 and made our way to the Sparta Museum. It was completely different from the Museum of Mistra, which had fewer items, but more dramatic displays. The items were extraordinary ranging in date from archaic to late Roman. There were several pieces in the Museum which were peculiar to Sparta and its particular way of thinking.
After a quick lunch we continued with a quest to find remains of classical Sparta. We found them at the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia. In plan it is an impressive complex with the standard altar, a simple temple and theater (which were later built up by the Romans), but its remains are lackluster. There was no cut stone and the materials were of local conglomerate. Instead of choosing to immortalize their culture through monumental architecture (like the Athenians) Sparta choose to base their reputation on word of mouth and their lack of monumental architecture. Likewise their acropolis, which was the last site of the day, was also unimpressive with the majority of the remains belonging to the later Roman period and having nothing to do with the period which Sparta is most known for. The intentional lack of ornamentation has definitely enhanced my appreciation for the Spartans effect on contemporary and modern audiences through oral and written traditions. The Spartans obviously felt that conquering the Peloponnesus was a better use of time than building huge fortification walls or temples.
Moving from the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia we headed to the Menelaion, which was a 5 minute bus ride and a 20 minute walk away. There we found the Temple of Menelaus and Helen built in the 7th century B.C. Less of a temple and more of an altar, the majority of its cut stone and decorative elements had already been removed and carted off to the Museum. A few feet away, however, was a far more fascinating structure. Known as Mansion One, it appears to be the remains of an early Mycenaean Palace. Not your typical Palace, it has been dated to before the destruction of Knossos around 1400 b.c. Meaning its plan could be the inspiration for later Mycenaean Palaces such as the one from Minos. The remains also give some idea for who might have attacked Knossos in the 13th century b.c. and also what contact they may have had with the Minoans. It was very exciting, especially when you realize that the Temple of Menelaus and Helen was probably established because there was a known Mycenaean Palace on the site.
We ended the day promptly at 4 with an offer by Prof. Rutter to take us to a restaurant outside of Sparta. It is all very exciting. We wish you all a good week and hope your weekends were relaxing.