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The Peloponnese

The Peloponnese, the island of Pelops, is connected to the rest of the Greek mainland only by the Isthmus of Corinth. Here you will find golden Mycenae; unwalled Sparta, Athens’ great rival; mighty Argos; Olympia, where Greece gathered in peace every four years; and much more besides.

Our Peloponnese is divided into Sparta, Argos, Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae, and Olympia. From the main page, you can take a tour of Mycenae and visit the webring to learn more about some of the people who have settled here.

Sparta, the most powerful city in the Peloponnese during the Classical era and Athens’ greatest rival, famous (and infamous) for her nearly unbeatable warriors, her independent women, and the brutally repressed slaves that made their martial society possible. And yet, they were so much more. Here history goes back to the Bronze Age. During the Archaic age, Sparta was known for her arts and crafts. Poetry, music, and dance were all of great importance to the Spartans. In myth, Sparta was home not only to Helen and Menelaus, but also to Helen’s siblings, Clytemnestra and the Dioscourides Castor and Pollux.

The original Sparta was formed from the almalgamation of five villages or obes. The names of four of them are definitely known: Kynosura, Limnai, Mesoa, and Pitane. These four make up the districts of Sparta here. (The fifth is generally thought to be Amyklai, where Apollo accidentally killed the boy Hyacinthos.) From the main Sparta page, you can take a quiz about Sparta, take a tour of Sparta, read the latest issue of the Sparta Journal – a webzine that spun off from the Sparta group – or visit the Sparta group.

Kynosura was one of the original villages of Sparta. The tombs of the Eurypontid kings were here.

Kleon Aristocratos has a Spartan Oikos here.

As its name implies, Limnai lies in the marshy grounds to the northwest of the Spartan agora, reaching to the shores of the Eurotas. This is where the temple of Artemis Orthia was located, where boys were flogged as part of an ancient rite.

Scribus Emeritus Nikolaos Cleomenes has built the Oikos of Cleomenes. Drop in and say hello.

Nefarious Nestor has a Filthy Shack.

Thanatos Nestor has built the Kalyba Apo Thanatos Nestor here.

The district of Mesoa lies south of the ancient agora of Sparta. The tomb of the Spartan king Leonidas I, who led the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, is found here.

Mari Leonidas is building the Palace of Leonidas here. It is still under construction.

The district of Pitane lies to the northwest of the ancient agora. It is named for the nymph of the same name, who was a daughter of the river god Eurotas. The temple of Athena of the Bronze House was here.

Scribus Emeritus Bacchus Isocrates has just opened the Spartan Ad Center. Are you looking for a place to put a banner ad? Drop by and see what Bacchus needs from you to make it happen.

Balbas Scriptor is building The Village.

Here, you will find Myrrhine Cylon’s Spartan Villa.

Silenus Cylon has cleared a small section of The Forest where you can go and join the party. But watch out, the slienoi are tricky devils.

Argos is one of the oldest cities in Greece. One of her kings was Danaus, father of the 50 Danaids who must fruitlessly carry water in seives in Tartarus as punishment for murdering their husbands. He also gave his name to an early word for the Greeks, the Danaans. It was here that Perseus was born, before being set adrift with his mother in a chest. Argos contended with Sparta for supremacy in the Peloponnese, before declining to secondary status in the fifth century BC. As yet, there are no ditricts and homes cannot be built here.

The city of Corinth guards the Peloponnesian side of the narrow isthmus which connects the Isle of Pelops to the mainland. With useful harbors on both sides, the city became a major center of trade. Rather than sending goods by ship the long way around the peninsula, merchants would bring their goods into the harbor on one side and transfer them to another ship on the other. It was even possible to transfer ships across the isthmus on a system of rollers. The Romans dreamed of cutting a canal, but that feat was not achieved until the modern era.

Our digital Corinth is divided into two districts, both of which are fitting to the city’s commercial history: the Agora District and Lechaion Road. From the main city page, you can take two separate tours of ancient Corinth.

The Agora district of Corinth bustles with shops. You can also learn quite a bit about the history and mythology of the city.

Anadyomene Callias has opened the Weaver’s Workroom. It’s a bit of a mess at the moment, but she hopes to offer garments of all sorts. Drop by and leave her a message.

Psykhe Glaucon runs Psykhe’s Pottery Shop. Stop by for a cup of wine.

AgoraVendor Artistides opened a Cheesy Souvenir Shop, but it is currently empty.

Leoneides Chabrias is the proprietor of Leoneides’s Household Slave Market, offering female slaves of all ages and training. He also has a lot of information on slavery in the ancient world.

Astra Alexandros has opened the Hip ‘n Chic Mythos Galleria, offering jewelry and weapons for the ladies and a backdoor entrance to the Pink Pussycat Pub.

The Lechaion Road runs from Corinth down to the port town of Lechaion on the Gulf of Corinth. The Corinthian end is lined with sidewalks and is home to temples, arcades, and shops. The Lechaion end has ship sheds, and sanctuaries to Poseidon and Aphrodite.

Fabricius Flavius keeps a Summer Villa here to take advantage of the ocean breezes. He has lots of links and information on everything from the Antikythera mechanism to Corinthian pottery to ancient Greek everyday life.

Leoneides Chabrias operates the Eatables to Wearables Market, a general goods store.

The Lechaion road is also home to one of Lucius Cornelius Flavius many Mercator Flavii. Here you can find links to the other branches and information about mining and trading in ancient Greece.

Epidauros was the birthplace of the healing god Asklepios and was the center of his cult. At its peak, the Asklepion here had more than 200 healing centers around the ancient world under its patronage. The city’s reputation brought wealth and they also built a theater capable of seating 12,000. Performances are held there even today.

In the Temple District you can learn quite a bit about the importance of Epidauros in the ancient world. You can also view a couple of short videos about the theater.

Alal-Sin Malachus has built the Delphinaion. Are dolphins really just gay sharks?

Eros Harmodios has built the Temple of the Twins to honor Eros and Anteros. Come to visit their temenoi and learn about the Eroteia.

Anteros Harmodios is reconstructing the Theater of Epidauros. Here you can learn more about the unusual acoustics of this magnificent theater.

Asklepios Artistides has opened the Asklepieion. You can learn a lot about this ancient healing temple.

Hermaphroditos Aristocratos has built a Sanctuary.

Ganymedes Ariston has built the Eagle’s Nest.

Hymenaios Theocritos has opened the Temenos of Hymenaios.

Himeros Agis has built the Temple of Himeros

Hedylogos Charmides is building the oikidion Whispered Echoes.

Pothos Callicrates has built the House of Blue Larkspur.

Golden Mycenae, home of ill-fated Agamemnon, who led the Greeks at Troy. In legend, the city was founded by Perseus and ruled over both Tiryns and Argos. The glory of ancient Mycenae can be seen in the remains of its many Bronze Age ruins, from the Lion Gate to the beehive tomb known as the Treasury of Agamemnon. From the main page, you can take a tour of Mycenae created by Senex Caecilius. As yet, there are no ditricts and homes cannot be built here.

Olympia lies in the western Peloponnesus in the territory of Elis. It was home to an important sanctuary of Zeus and the games held in his honor grew to be the most important of the Panhellenic games. Every four years, Greeks from around the world gathered peacefully – regardless of the state of war in Hellas – to compete in the name of Zeus. One of the seven wonders of the world was here, the great statue of Zeus created by Pheidias from gold and ivory.

Our Olympia currently has a single district, the Gymnasion District. However, you can also find souvenirs for your home, courtesy of Tobius Tullius, try out ’ Olympic Find-a-Word puzzle, or take a 3D tour of Olympia.

The Gymnasion district is woefully underdeveloped, but a number of people have made it their home.

Scribus Emeritus Bacchus Isocrates keeps a megaron of Ancient Games here. You can try out several scramblers and word finds with ancient themes. There is also an area for discussing ancient games.

Scriba Emerita Anna Hippon has a Sky Box here.

Olympia Philippos has a Loutron or bathhouse.

Helen Theocritos has a small and rather bare Olympic Stadium.

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The Peloponnese

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