Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Exploring Ancient Sparta

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Starting point is 00:00:46 please go to sleepcove.com slash support. That's sleepcove.com slash support. If you can't support the show right now, please subscribe with a bell to get alerts on all new free content thank you have you ever gazed in wonder at the great pyramid have you marvelled at the golden face of Tudankhamun

Starting point is 00:01:16 or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti if you have you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast every week we explore tales of this ancient culture The history of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of ancient Egypt. Hello and welcome to Sleep Cove with Christopher Fitton. Please listen to this recording in a place where you can safely go to sleep. Hi everyone, I hope everyone is ready to explore the ancient city of Sparta with me tonight.

Starting point is 00:02:03 I'm really looking forward to guiding you and telling you the history of this magnificent place. We'll soon be closing our eyes and doing a guided meditation where we imagine ourselves in the beautiful scene of Sparta. So as we begin, we're going to take some deep breath as you go into this exploration as we transport ourselves to ancient Greece and take a deep breath in through your stomach and out and take a breath in through your stomach again relax out through your stomach again and hopefully your eyes are closed

Starting point is 00:03:10 but in your mind's eye you open your eyes and take in your surroundings. You are on a green plain, slowly walking up a slight with Mediterranean trees dotted around you. The ground is a combination of green grass and gravel stones. You are in a long valley

Starting point is 00:03:51 with green hills lining the edges. You look behind you and in a far away distance, you see the horizon of the sea. The sun is in the sky behind you, and you can tell that it is mid-afternoon, as the sun is beginning to drop its intensity, it's beginning to wane, and the cool breeze feels gentle, and the temperature is delightful. You notice what you notice what? you are wearing. It's a tunic wrapped around and pinned to you. With a small bronze and leather

Starting point is 00:04:42 plate held under your shoulder holding the fabric in place. The colour is Spartan red. The legendary colour of the city-state as it's a warm summer's day. The soft linen of the tunic feels nice against your skin as you look around more taking in your surroundings. You are wearing simple leather sandals held together with leather straps that wrap around your ankles. They are very comfortable as you walk along the worn gravel path. You recognize your surroundings of being in ancient Greece as you walk past the Mall of which is being tended to by farm workers in white and beige tunics. And you notice white-tipped mountains at the very far of the horizon, many miles away, with small,

Starting point is 00:05:59 fluffy white clouds dotted around the blue sky. You are in a luscious valley in the Peloponnese, in modern day Laconia. There are lots of communities and small villages you see off into the distance of the valley. And they are all ruled by Sparta. Nearby you see the ruins of the Temple of Menelaus. This is a Greek building, with five columns on the north and south side of the building. Much of the roof has caved in now. And some of the columns are incomplete. You climb up to the steps of the temple and walk through the ruins, come out of the shadows,

Starting point is 00:07:02 and see the bright blue sky through the missing seating, and feel the soft fresh air. The frescoes and paintings are faded and crumbled inside. On the floor you see a scattering of bronze balls, some with burnt embers from freshly burnt herbs. And you remember that the Spartans many hundreds of years ago change this building into a temple, where some people still go today.

Starting point is 00:07:43 to make their offerings. They believed it was the old palace of Medellaeus and Helen, whose Spartans believed were the patrons of Sparta. Every Greek knew the story of the Iliad and Menelaus, and his role in the Trojan War, with some kings of Sparta claiming lineage to this mythical figure. As you walk up the old road, the ancient city comes into full view before you. This is Sparta.

Starting point is 00:08:28 You see the vast city gatehouse rising above you. When it was in its prime, Sparta had no city walls. Its inhabitants, it seems, prefer to defend it with men rather than water. Warriors rather than walls is an apt expression that would have fitted into Spartan everyday life a laconic statement that the inhabitants may have used themselves

Starting point is 00:09:00 you will find more about this way of life in the city the term laconic was actually named after this area of Laconia and the Spartans admired this way of speaking. Its compact and pithy statements match their philosophy of living their lifestyles in honourable austerity. The Spartans were so well known for their speech, this laconic way of speaking was named after them, the area they came from.

Starting point is 00:09:41 Many famous statements of the Spartans are still known to this day and a maiden king demanded submission from Sparta stating If I invade Laconia I shall turn you out The Spartan leaders replied with a single word If there are two Laconic statements that have gone down in history from the battle of the 300 Spartans against the invading Persian army, which is known to be true because they were recorded at the time. The first is a boast from one of the Persians

Starting point is 00:10:31 that when battle commences our arrows will block out the sun. The Spartans nonchantly responded, then we will fight in the shipwomenes. shade. The second famous laconic phrase concerns a Persian commander's demand that the Spartans and their allies surrender and lay down their weapons. The Spartans deployed for battle, responded, come and take them. So with this knowledge of the Spartan culture, you will go through the gatehouse. On the gatehouse you see ornately carved, ironwork, reflecting in the sun.

Starting point is 00:11:22 Bronze statues of Spartans line the low walls on either side of the entrance to the gatehouse. With the five statues of soldiers at attention, with their iconic Spartan helmets, round shields, and spears, you walk through a courtyard. with covered walkways on either side with slightly pitched roofs and Greek columns supporting these walkways through the columns you see the trees and forests around you and again without such walls the impressive beautiful countryside

Starting point is 00:12:11 is easy to see from the city the courtyard is clearly a meeting place with conversations and tables of business for traders entering the city and officials with scrolls marking down businesses and stock for the day. You walk across the small hustle and bustle of the courtyard through to the final open-bottomed gatehouse, to the side of the gatehouse. On each end are two flaming, cold.

Starting point is 00:12:54 Sauterun's set alight. This gatehouse is mightier and more impressive. It has a Greek arch with a pediment decorated with mythical sculptures set into it. And you walk through into Sparta. Through the gatehouse you are met with a square, with a garden in the centre and a square walkway around it, lining the square are seven 30-foot columns on each side, with a famous Spartan warrior or key on the top of the column, immortalized with honor for the people to remember them by. You walk through the square where people in Tokus are talking and small food sellers are making business. The garden in the center has red flowers. growing on green grass, again showing the colour of the city to all people who enter.

Starting point is 00:14:06 Between each statue, between each column is a cauldron burning with fire. The whole entrance is truly a sight to behold and displays the power of the region. However, the most impressive sight is to come at the end of the square. where there is a giant 40-foot statue of Apollo. This statue is to welcome people who enter the city and you feel safe and relaxed within this magnificent sight. Guests are treated with respect and honour.

Starting point is 00:14:53 As long as you treat residents, the same they treat you. To the left of the square you see an elk crop where some soldiers are training with wooden swords hitting mannequins made of straw. And you walk after this site and explore and see the sights and sounds of the area. You see some training for battle. But this is a time of peace and no one is marching to battle today. And the people are very relaxed.

Starting point is 00:15:29 This military area is called the Argoji. where the military training regime and education program is undertaken. The Agoji is a system which emphasised duty, discipline and endurance. Although Spartan women were not active in the military, they were educated and enjoyed more status and freedom than other Greek women. Spartan women had the reputation for being. independently minded and enjoyed more power and freedoms than their counterparts throughout ancient Greece. While they played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a

Starting point is 00:16:24 formal education, although separate from boys. Spartan women engaged in athletic competitions including javelin flurring and wrestling, and also sang and dance. competitively. As adults, Spartan women were allowed to own and manage property, and they were typically encumbered by domestic responsibilities, such as cleaning and cooking and making clothing. As these tasks were handled by the Helots were a farming class who produced the food for the Spartans, who were unfortunately a class below the Spartans. We see them walking around the city, working the streets and doing trade and moving food, and other such tasks. They were made up of captured enemies and peoples from battle and surrounding areas which Sparta had conquered.

Starting point is 00:17:33 They were however not like typical slaves that you found in other parts of the ancient world, as they were allowed to start their own families and were commanded by the state rather than private citizens if they serve Sparta well there were options for the helots to become full citizens of Sparta especially if they performed well in battle you now pay attention to this military complex in front of you

Starting point is 00:18:07 you see boys training and they started training here at seven years old and ended at 30 they trained to be efficient soldiers but learned to write, play music and read when they reached 20 they could serve in the Spartan army and they lived in communal halls

Starting point is 00:18:36 until 30 when they could leave they could start a family from the age of 22 but it was deemed more appropriate to get married and do this. At 30 years of age, Spartan men served in the military until they turned 60. When they were classed as elders, the Spartans constant military training that you see in front of you and their discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fighting in a phalanx formation. In the phalanx formation the army worked as a unit in a close, deep formation and made

Starting point is 00:19:24 Made coordinated mass manoeuvres, and you see a group of boys being trained in front of you now. No one soldier was considered superior to another. And going into battle, the Spartan soldier wore a large bronze helmet, breastplate and alcohol cards, and carried a round shield made of bronze and wood and a long spear and sword. and Spartan warriors were known for their long hair and red cloaks. When a Spartan warrior was ready to be married, the women had their head shaved, and they kept their hair short after they wet,

Starting point is 00:20:17 and marriage couples typically lived apart, as men under 13 were required to continue residing in communal barracks. But in order to see their wives during this time, husbands snuck away in the middle of the night. As you walk round the military complex of the city, you see mass dormitories where training Spartan soldiers slept and lived. These dormitories have courtyards in the centre, and most of the buildings are single stories with classic Greek columns

Starting point is 00:20:57 leading out to the courtyard. The main building of the Echo G has a larger roof set inside the bottom level with a pitched roof the Spartans ate communal meals where food was provided by the hole and as you move around

Starting point is 00:21:22 you can see the socialising and training taking place you decide to explore the city more and you walk further at the way and in a stone circle lined with columns and set upon a giant rock is a gigantic statue of King Leonidas the legendary king who stood at the battle of Thermopylae

Starting point is 00:21:56 where at the mountain pass known as the Hot Gates King Leonidas and his command of Greek soldiers and Spartans consisting of 7,000 troops held off the Persian army of nearly 300,000 for seven days and caused many casualties to the invading Persians. It was only after a traitor led the Persians through a secret pass that the Greeks were surrounded and unable to halt their position. King Leonidas sent the rest of the Greek army away and had his last stand with a legendary guard of 300 Spartans.

Starting point is 00:22:50 They did this as Spartans never flee or surrender. This act of courage and self-sacrifice was a huge morale boost to the Greeks who managed to mobilize an ally made. cities across the country to finally defeat the invading Persian force for good. Months later. To honor his bravery, Leonardo says now the archetypical Spartan in their culture, and everyone admires him and the name of the 300 Spartans who took their last stand are engraved at the base of his statue.

Starting point is 00:23:38 statue. Where sits his tomb? Their honour is immortalised, forever in Spartan myth and legend, but a legend that was true. And like so many Greek myths, we all know, you finish admiring this statue. And to the left of this monument is the Hippodrome, where the elite class of Sparta have time to practice wrestling in preparation for the Olympic Games, with younger boys playing ball games and using the hippodrome as a gymnasium. On special days, chariot racing will take place and will thunder around the long oval of the hippodrome, which is banked by seating on each side,

Starting point is 00:24:37 while the track has pillars of obelixes, To mark the course for the chariots, there are stables off to the right of the hippodrome. And you see Siniska, who is the sister of the Spartan king? She is training her horses and riding them. Siniska is extremely well respected in Sparta. She was the first woman in the whole of Greece to win at the Olympic Games. when the horses she trained and owned won the chariot racing competition. These times the owner of the horses are awarded the main prize of the Olympic competition.

Starting point is 00:25:31 And in further times, in Sparta, she had a shrine dedicated to her as she was a hero of the city and is still remembered to this day as a female trailblazer. Around here are the houses and streets for most of the inhabitants of Sparta. As you walk around the streets, taking in the sights and sounds, most of the houses here have a reddish hue, not because of design, but because most of the houses are mud-bred, brick-constructed, and have modest courtyards at the front. Most of the houses are modest.

Starting point is 00:26:21 As this was the Spartan way, as they did not want to draw attention to themselves. Outside of the houses you see a lot of pottery being made by numerous tradesmen, and pottery was such a key component in transportation, and for moving drinks and food and supplies. There was a constant need for it, and you enjoy watching the craftsmen quickly make their pots for sale. There are young children playing And even NAFNAFTA As you walk along Looking at the houses

Starting point is 00:27:04 Of the famous Spartans You enjoy the shade And touch of the ancient stones They feel cool Under your hands and feet And moving along the old winding streets You feel the well-trodden cobbles Under your feet

Starting point is 00:27:24 As you head towards an opening in the opening, you see a large structure in front of you, which is an open column circular structure with a flat roof, and engravings around the side of that roof. This is where the festival in honoring Apollo takes place, in which boys carry out public dancing, and dancing is very important in Spartan culture. You can hear faint voices on the wind, carrying the words of chorus, and you go to investigate.

Starting point is 00:28:12 As you get closer, you see the rows of seats rising above you. The brightly coloured robes of the audience become a beautiful tapestry against the brilliant blue sky. This is the amphitheatre of Sparta, and there is a performance on now in the late after afternoon with a sunsette and many the actors are wearing masks as they before. Behind this theatre is the outcrop of the Acropolis of Sparta. And on the Acropolis is the main temple of Athena called the Bronze House and you slowly make your way up four steep long staircases that take you to the buildings on top of the Acropolis and you wander around the main temple of the

Starting point is 00:29:15 bronze house, where the structure is literally clad in bronze and shining in a deep brown reddish shoe. The bronze here is melted down from captured enemy shields and there are statues of gods from Greek folklore. There are steep walls and around the Havarious and various open temples with open columns with cauldrons burning incense the buildings up here make a complex structure and you look out onto the Spartan Valley below you and see the gatehouse that are led into the city

Starting point is 00:30:01 and you enjoy looking out to the sea seeing the sunset on the horizon and he feels so relaxed and nice and you want to relax and take a few moments As you look out the view, you decide to explore some more. And behind you see a large Greek temple-like building. And you walk in and there's a great hall with two thrones. As Sparta was unusual in that it had two kings that come from two great dynasties.

Starting point is 00:31:05 In times of war only one king was head of the army and the other remained in the same. the city, as if one was slain in battle, there still could be continuous rule. And the head of the army always travelled with his legendary 300 elite fighters. Around this area are the forums, the councils, the magistrates, who are mostly chosen by Sparta themselves to do the admin for the city. And this was the closest thing that was to democracy in Smarter. In this complex you see what is a modest house with an open balcony. And this is where you are going to be staying tonight.

Starting point is 00:32:04 You walk in and you stand on the balcony on the edge of the rocky acropolis. And you look again out of the city beneath you. And you see the amazing sunset of orange and yellow. As the sun drops into the darker blue ocean on the edge of the horizon. And you feel so relaxed as you feel a cool breeze on you. And you feel amazingly at peace. and you can't wait to explore more. Tomorrow you want to go to bed.

Starting point is 00:32:55 You notice just inside the house there is a large soft bed with soft white sheets and you lay on it but you can still see across the balcony before you and the city's sights that you have just witnessed and walked through and this place is a comfortable cozy bed and you sit here and he decided to watch the sun set in front of you, the magnificent city of Sparta.

Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Exploring Ancient Sparta

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