Peloponnese Peninsula

The Menelaion is a site located about 2.5 miles outside of the modern city of Sparti, in the valley of the Eurotas River. The site was first excavated in 1909 by the British School of Athens, under the direction of John Droop, Alan Wace, and M.S. Thompson. The site consists of a shrine to Menelaus and Helen of Troy, and the ruins of two mansions. A great deal of Bronze Age and later artifacts have been found in the area, including offerings to Menelaus and Helen. The shrine had three different configurations; the first of which was likely completed sometime in the 7th century BC. There was a second phase of construction which occurred somewhere around the 6th century BC, and this version is referred to as the “Ancient Menelaion.” The final version of the shrine is constructed of limestone and was completed after a complete tear-down of the previous shrine, sometime in the 5th century. This ruin of this version is currently standing today.

  The Spartans were well known to worship heroes in addition to the Greek gods and goddesses, and the Menelaion is a good example of this practice. Helen and her husband Menelaus are well known to modern scholars from Homer’s epic poetry, and were important heroic figures to the Spartans and the ancient Greeks in general. It has even been suggested through interpretation of ancient sources, that the Menelaion could have been the possible burial site of Menelaus and Helen, which would further explain the choice of the location for the shrine.