‘The deepest background of the social, material, and even political history of ancient Greece lies in the physical environment and its effects on the opportunities and the constraints of life in this part of the Mediterranean region’ -Thomas R. Martin, Ancient Greece
‘The city of Sparta is not regularly planned and contains no temples or monuments of great magnificence but is simply a collection of villages…’ Thucydides
agriculture |
mining |
The main form of economic activity under Spartan control was agriculture. The rich soil of the plain was used to grow:
|
Limestone and marble were quarried from the mountains around Sparta and wood was felled from the forests. Iron was mined by the Spartans but probably not lead as was once believed. There was abundant clay for pottery.
|