Date: May 1
Partners for the day: Josh (text) Kelsey (images)
Site: Sparta and neighboring region
Principal Buildings/Monuments: Menelaion, Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, Shrine of Apollo and Hyakinthos, Sparta Acropolis
Time Spent on Site: from ca. 8:30 AM to ca. 1 PM [ 4.5 hours]
Weather: Cloudy, drizzling, 60 degrees
Text Composer: Josh
A short, but busy, day likely provided us with the pinnacle experience of the uncertain improvised nature of our time in Greece. A warm beautiful free day in Sparta, was followed today by a dreary morning of driving around the city, visiting nearly every site that was open. The original itinerary for today had a visit to the Medieval town of Mistra consuming most of our morning. However, thanks to the closure of the site with today being the celebration of May Day, what was scheduled went out the window very quickly.
The short visits to the varying sites around the city of Sparta left us well informed of the strange lack of Spartan architectural remains. Most of what we saw lying in the red soil of Laconia was Roman or later in date. The associated history of the city and its people did more than make up for the unimpressive remains of available for our visit though. Varying attempts and suggestions at visiting the Olive Oil museum, a nearby monastery, or the Archeological Museum failed, because of holiday closures. The remains available for visiting were summed up well by the Blue Guide (the guide book to Greece that each student carries), when it spoke of the remains of Sparta as “gloomy and forlorn.”
The doom and gloom of the less than adventurous day ahead, to be spent observing scant remains of conglomerate stone foundations in a slow drizzle, was, to our surprise, mitigated at the first site of the day. On the other end of the hilltop containing the Menelaion, the shrine to mythical heroes Menelaus and Helen of the Trojan War, a group of local farmers had gathered for a barbeque in celebration of May Day. In the Greek custom of great hospitality to foreigners, our group was beckoned over and invited to partake in the celebrations. An unexpected party, overlooking Sparta from the neighboring foothills, lifted our group’s spirits with grilled souvlaki, chicken, sausage, and an assortment of cheeses and beverages. The quote of the day was delivered by one of the friendly locals working away at his grill, when, in order to break the ice between our two groups, he referred to the Fourth-of-July-style barbeque by saying “This is Sparta!”
The day traveling around the area featured us running into several other small gathering nearby the archeological sites open for us to visit. The adventurous nature of not knowing necessarily where we will be going for the day, and what we might encounter has been a hallmark of the time in Greece. The design of the Foreign Study Program relies heavily on a continuous travel schedule that places us nearly every other day in a new hotel, in a new region of the Aegean world. With this travel has come both a sense of adventure, and a grind that over time begins to tire out individuals.
Every new hotel brings with it a new set of roommates, a new breakfast (some very good, and others quite Spartan, if the pun may be employed), and a new town to explore for restaurants and needed supplies. Much of the change has brought with it great benefits. The relatively large group of 16 students has become a good group of friends. The having hot water to shower in, or a convenient place to do laundry have become topics for individuals to bond. Above all, the daily act of eating has even brought with it the unexpected in simply finding a spot to grab a gyro or full meal. Something Food Court and home cooked meals provide as routine and often unappreciated luxuries.
Today, on one of those days that looks to be bringing the worst aspects of a long day out on sites, standing in drizzling rain under gloomy grey skies, the unexpected stumbling upon of a group of local farmers, and a half our of sharing laughs, even though most of us couldn’t talk to each other, displayed the brightest moments of impromptu nature of our travels and visits to archeological sites. Today’s unexpected barbeque was Sparta, and the adventure and spontaneity of traveling throughout Greece—this is our FSP.
Helen (left) and Menelaus (right) enjoy a romantic moment at the Shrine of Menelaus and Helen, also known as the Menelaion.
Kristina protects Gahl from the rain while the rest of the group huddles under a tree, longing for the shelter and delicious meat available at a nearby May Day celebration.
Some may say that a man’s home is his palace, but the simple fieldstone walls of this Mycenaean structure helped prevent its identification as such.
Mike restrains Kinsey so Nick can sacrifice her at the Menelaion. Is Kinsey distraught or is she laughing about it? Try to look more distressed, Kinsey; you’re supposed to be dying.
The group visits a Mycenaean column base at a nearby church where a May Day celebration is taking place. The base supported a column in ancient times, and it has become useful again in modern day to support a container of barbecue gas. Professor Rutter points out the column to our hosts, but they seem to be more interested in grilling meat than being grilled on archaeology.
Which is Brooks smiling about?
Chris says that in Tennessee if there’s no barbecue sauce being used, it’s a cookout, not a barbecue. The hosts remind him that “THIS IS SPARTA.”
The Spartans are so grateful for the addition of a female component to their sausage-fest that they generously share their meat with group. Lizz feeds Kyle her pork souvlaki.
Taking a break from class to eat delicious fried cheese would make anyone smile, and Kinsey grins widely before enjoying her snack.
Gahl and Johan participate in a bonding ritual of the Spartan agoge.
Kyle and Ben love sausage. They chow down on it Lady and the Tramp style, but the question remains—who’s the lady, and who’s the tramp?
Two men enter, one man leaves. When the Romans reconstructed the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in the second century AD, they built a Roman theater where, in an attempt to emulate practices of the manly Spartans, whipping contests between young boys were staged. The two boys would whip each other until only the victor was left standing. Kinsey cheers as Pete loses.
A day with barbecue isn’t complete without some good old-fashioned American baseball. Kyle pitches and Ray catches.
Spartan women were ridiculed by the Athenians for participating in wrestling matches, like the one Kinsey and Lizz engage in at the Sanctuary of Apollo Amyklaios.
The Spartans exposed weak or deformed babies to the elements and left them to die. Nick picked a cold, rainy day to expose Kyle, but Kyle is cheerful about his impending doom.
The meat from the May Day celebration wasn’t enough to satisfy Nick, and he jumps up to grab an orange.
Most of the remains at the Spartan Acropolis date to Roman times. Johan gazes sadly at the 1st or 2nd century BC Roman theater.
According to Thucydides, the Spartans dragged the medizing Pausinas out of the Temple of Athena Chalkioikos as he was dying so he wouldn’t pollute the sacred space. Nick, Chris, and Mike reenact the event, and Brooks poses as the cult statue in the background.
Liz crowns Kyle and Ray on Triakosion, the Street of the 300.
Final Comments:
The closure of both Mistra and the Archeological Museum due to May Day will result in an extremely packed schedule for tomorrow. Even though today’s weather doesn’t give us great hope, we are all praying that both the itinerary and the weather will allow us to spend some time on the beach during the later afternoon.
