Amyklaion

Near the village of Amykles, on the hill of Agia Kyriaki, lies the famous sanctuary of the Pre – Doric god Yakinthos, and Apollo Amyklaios.
Here was the colossal columnar statue of Apollo which was surrounded on three sides by the so-called "throne", an imposing structure, work of Vathiklis, dating to the end of the 6th century BC.
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The “throne” is considered as the most impressive and enigmatic architecture of the end of the archaic era. Today the archaeological site includes fragments of walls, traces of foundations of different periods and a circular altar. Mixed architectural fragments of Doric and Ionian style are exhibited in the Museum of Sparta.

The excavations proved the existence of a settlement of the Middle Helladic period (2000-1600 BC) on the hill. As evidenced by the numerous figurines that were found here, the site became a place of worship during the Mycenaean era (1600-1100 BC). From Archaic to Roman period, Amyklaion was an important political and religious center of Sparta, hosting the most important Spartan festival of “Hyacinthia”, which symbolized the political reconciliation of Doric Sparta (Apollo) with the Pre-Doric inhabitants of Amykles (Hyacinth).
 
 
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