MACEDONIA - The PANHELLENIC Sun Of Vergina

Before answering the quiz (Lindsay of course knows the answer) here's a video about the Doric-Spartan connection of Alexander the Great.

Quiz: Where are the Spartans today?

A challenge for you... Sparta lost it's status as the leading power of Greece in 362 B.C. when the Thebans, under Epaminondas, invaded the Peloponnese and crashed the Spartans at the Battle of Mantinea. The Thebans liberated the helots and Sparta was reduced into a second-class city-state in the Hellenic world.

Unlike all the other Hellenic Kingdoms and Democracies of mainland Greece, Sparta was not conquered by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, and the Spartans did not march into Asia together with the other Greeks, simply, because their ancient laws prohibited them to go to war unless they were the leaders of the campaign.

Then came the Hellenistic period and the Spartans built a wall around their city for the first time in history. During the Roman period Sparta became a kind of amusement park for travellers who visited the city in search of what remained of its ancient Glory.

What happened next?

Doric philosophy: Life is War

The society of ancient Sparta was indeed orientated to WAR... war, or better the preparing for war was what Spartans were doing all their lives.

Our friend W. Lindsay Wheeler was kind enough to send me the following link about Doric Philosophy (thank you very much Lindsay!!): http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/index.php/Life_is_War#Doric_philosophy

ps: I am sorry but I've been pretty busy these days at work and don't have time to update this blog as often as I would like.

Homosexuality in Ancient Greece

A friend of the blog had mailed me some time ago to mention something about homosexuality in ancient Greece. I have read some arguements on whether it's a more modern invention of some historians or the alleged tolerance of same sex relations was a fact in classical antiquity... Well, there are some ancient Greek texts which argue against it and they are very interesting to look at.

Για την Αμαλία...

June 1, 479 BC

2486 years since the Battle of Platea, where the united Hellenic army, under the command of Spartan Vice-King Pausanias, although outnumbered at least three to one, crashed the Persians and expelled them once and for all from Greece.

The first and only battle in ancient history were Sparta mobilized almost its entire reserves, offering an army of 50,000 men, including 5,000 full citizens, 10,000 perioikoi and 35,000 helots.

More one wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Platea