Artemis Orthia - is the goddess of the
wilderness, the hunt and wild animals,
and fertility (she became a goddess of
fertility and childbirth mainly in cities).
 Poseidon – god of the sea
 Apollo – god of music, prophecies,
poetry, and archery. Also said to be the
god of light and truth. Is associated with
the sun. He is Artemis's twin brother.
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Artemis was the goddess of fertility and childbirth,
protector of children and women’s health. She was
associated with forests and uncultivated places. She
is sometimes called the "mistress of the wild thing" and
is shown in art as a woman (sometimes with wings)
holding animals. Orthia was an earlier Spartan
goddess about whom little is known. The combining
of the two deities became a particular Spartan
religious observance.
The sanctuary of Artemis Orthia stood near the
Eurotas River outside the centre of Sparta. Here there
were temples, altars and an area for spectators.
Below is a photograph of the ruins of the Temple of
Artemis Orthia as it appears today. Beyond, in the
distance, are the Taygetos mountains.
The cult had the following features: May / June
was a time of separation of young men in the
wild and a cheese-stealing ritual at the altar of
Artemis Orthia. The altar was defended by older
youths with whips.
 An endurance test took place in front of family
and friends. Songs and dances were followed by
a parade of the young men in fine clothes after
their ordeal.
 At the site archaeologists have found many small
votive lead figurines and masks used in the cult.
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Lycurgus – his ‘life’ written about by
Plutarch.
 He was supposedly the legendary
‘lawgiver’ who organised the Spartan
state along military lines.
 Scholars argue as to whether he existed
at all, was 3 men or to what extent he
changed Spartan society.
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Helen of Troy was originally Helen of Sparta – the wife of
Menelaus and the most beautiful woman in Greece.
The Dioscuri were Castor and Polydeuces (or Pollux), the
twin sons of Leda and Zeus and the brothers of Helen of
Troy.
Pollux was a formidable boxer, and Castor was a great
horseman. Together, they were the "Heavenly Twins," often
associated with the constellation Gemini.
Castor and Pollux abducted and married Phoebe and
Hilaeira, the daughters of Leucippus; Castor was then
killed in a battle.
Pollux was granted immortality by Zeus, but he persuaded
Zeus to allow him to share the gift with Castor. As a result,
the two spend alternate days on Olympus (as gods) and in
Hades (as deceased mortals).
They were the chief priests.
 They made all public sacrifices.
 One king would have run festivals.
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Graves only for men who die in battle OR
women who die in childbirth = HEROES.
 The rest buried in unmarked graves or
may have been cremated.
 Only funerary customs we know of are
for kings.
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It is Herodotus who gives us details of the events that
took place following the death of a Spartan king.
When a Spartan king died, horsemen travelled all
over Lakonia, informing the inhabitants.
In the city of Sparta itself, women went around
beating a cauldron.
After this, two people from each house, a man and a
woman, were expected to join in the mourning.
Failure to do so resulted in heavy penalties.
All residents of Sparta joined in the mourning, striking
their foreheads as a sign of their grief.
For a period of ten days following the burial of the
king, meetings were not permitted for markets or to
ordain or to select magistrates.
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This was "The Festival of the Unarmed Boys". The
festival was held in the Spartan agora (market
place). It commemorated the Battle of Thyrea fought
against Argos c.550 B.C.
The festival featured: choral performances; the
setting up of images of Apollo and Artemis; “boxing”
amongst boys and men.
Although much has been written about the violent
aspect of the festival, it has been interpreted as a
"rite of passage" on the way to manhood, an
initiation that indicated membership or belonging to
the community. In it we see the whole warrior code
to initiate the young soldier to a life of physical
excellence, a life that would involve enduring pain
for the good of the Spartan state.
Interestingly, older men (about 30) who
were unmarried or without children
(agamoi) were not permitted to
participate.
 Perhaps it was felt that they had not
made that very important contribution to
the Spartan state: healthy children!
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The Karneia, a harvest festival celebrated for nine
days during the month of August (late summer), was
an extremely important festival for the Spartans.
It was a celebration of migration, the colonisation of
the city, the foundation of the Doric peoples and of
various military events.
For this celebration, the men were divided up into
nine groups of three phratries who dined together
and each occupied a skias, an area which
contained tents.
In addition, some citizens carried models of rafts,
which also symbolised the coming of the Dorians.
These activities were to represent the early history of
Sparta, including the migration and colonization.
Another aspect of this festival was the foot-race, which
resembled a chase of prey, rather than your standard race. One
young man, who first prayed to the city-gods, ran while other
unmarried men, who were called the staphulodromoi (grapecluster runners), chased him.
 The young man ahead of the rest was dressed in woollen fillets
(ribbons around the head), which was similar to an account of
human sacrifice by the Thessalians as described by Herodotos
and is possibly derived from an earlier celebration of Karneios.
 If they caught the frontrunner, it was a good omen for the state
and, if not, the future was bleak. The consequences of this race
and the chasing of a human are rather interesting as it was
primarily the agamoi who participated.
 Five unmarried people, called the karneatai, were chosen from
each phyle to cover the costs of the festivals, including both
sacrifice and chorus. (In early Sparta, the Karneia was a musical
festival which included both men and women and a dance of
armed men.)
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Demetrios of Skepis described the Karneia and
the games as a reflection of the military
training system, which has been echoed by
many modern scholars in an attempt to
understand this festival.
Overall, the Karneia had a communal aspect,
emphasising heroic exploits. However, another
point to be made is the pacifist nature of the
Karneia.
During the festival, Spartans were not allowed
to venture to wars or battles. This was the
reason behind the late arrival of the Spartans
at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.
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This was a festival named after Hyakinthos, a youth
who was lover of the god Apollo and died when
Apollo accidentally hit him with a discus.
The flower of the red hyacinth was believed to have
sprung from his blood. In his grief, Apollo ordained an
annual festival.
This festival was held at the ancient shrine of Amyclae
(about five kilometers from Sparta). This site was the
location of a huge statue of Apollo, the tomb of
Hyakinthos and an open area for festival dances.
The festival took place over three days in the
(summer) month of July.
Athenaeus, writing in the 2nd century A.D., has
given an account of this festival which
basically revolves around mourning for
Hyakinthos and praise of Apollo:
The festival had TWO stages:
 The first stage involved rites of sorrow and
mourning in honour of Hyakinthos. There was a
ban on the wearing of wreaths and on joyful
songs. Offerings were placed at the dead
youth’s tomb. The eating of bread and cakes
was forbidden; there was a special funeral
meal, then a day of ritual grief.
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The second stage involved rejoicing in honour of
Apollo, the wearing of wreaths, the singing of
joyful songs, sacrifice to Apollo, a festive meal, a
procession to Amyclae, choral song and dance.
The historian Hooker has interpreted the festival as
a festival for the dead on one hand, combined
with a thanksgiving for life on the other.