Phare ( grc, Φάρη) or Pharis (Φᾶρις), afterwards called Pharae (Φαραί), was a town of Laconia in the

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

n plain, situated upon the road from

Amyclae Amyclae or Amyklai ( grc, Ἀμύκλαι) was a city of ancient Laconia, situated on the right or western bank of the Eurotas, 20 stadia south of Sparta, in a district remarkable for the abundance of its trees and its fertility. Amyclae was one ...

to the sea. It was mentioned in the Catalog of ships in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

, and was one of the ancient Achaean towns. It maintained its independence till the reign of

Teleclus Teleclus or Teleklos (Greek: Τήλεκλος) was the 8th Agiad dynasty king of Sparta during the eighth century BC. He was the son of King Archelaus and grandson of King Agesilaus I. Pausanias reports that Teleclus' reign saw the conquest of A ...

, king of Sparta; and, after its conquest, continued to be a Lacedaemonian town under the name of Pharae. It was said to have been plundered by Aristomenes in the

Second Messenian War The Second Messenian War was a war which occurred ca. 660–650 BC between the Ancient Greek states of Messenia and Sparta, with localized resistance possibly lasting until the end of the century. It started around 40 years after the end of the F ...

. It is also mentioned in a corrupt passage of Strabo, and by other ancient writers. Pharis has been rightly placed at the deserted village of

Vaphio Vaphio, Vafio or Vapheio is an ancient site in Laconia, Greece, on the right bank of the Eurotas, some five miles south of Sparta. It is famous for its ''tholos'' or "beehive" tomb, excavated in 1889 by Christos Tsountas. This consists of a walle ...

, which lies south of the site of Amyclae, and contains an ancient "Treasury," like those of

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...

and Orchomenus, which is in accordance with Pharis having been one of the old Achaean cities before the Dorian conquest. Its site was described by William Mure: "it is, like that of Mycenae, a tumulus, with an interior vault, entered by a door on one side, the access to which was pierced horizontally through the slope of the hill. Its situation, on the summit of a knoll, itself of rather conical form, while it increases the apparent size of the tumulus, adds much to its general loftiness and grandeur of effect. The roof of the vault, with the greater part of its material, is now gone, its shape being represented by a round cavity or crater on the summit of the tumulus. The doorway is still entire. It is 6 feet wide at its upper and narrower part. The stone lintel is 15 feet in length. The vault itself was probably between 30 and 40 feet in diameter." Mure adds: "

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...

is said to have been buried at Amyclae. This may, therefore, have been the royal vault of the Spartan branch, as the Mycenaean monument was of the Argive branch of the Atridan family." But even if we suppose the monument to have been a sepulchre, and not a treasury, it stood at the distance of 4 or 5 miles (6 to 8 km) from Amyclae. In addition to this, Menelaus, according to other accounts, was buried at

Therapne Therapne ( grc, Θεράπνη) was a town in ancient Laconia, within the territory of Sparta. According to Greek mythology, its name comes from a daughter of Lelex. The place was distinguished for housing the Menelaion, a temple to Menelaus, w ...

. Mure, ''Tour in Greece'', vol. ii. p. 246; Leake, ''Morea'', vol. iii. p. 3, ''Peloponnesiaca'', p. 354; Curtius, ''Peloponnesos, eine historisch-geographische Beschreibung der Halbinsel'' (1851), vol. ii. p. 248.

References

Populated places in ancient Laconia Cities in ancient Greece Former populated places in Greece Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Greece Locations in the Iliad {{AncientLaconia-geo-stub