Phare () or Pharis (Φᾶρις), afterwards called Pharae (Φαραί), was a town of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

in the

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n plain, situated upon the road from

Amyclae Amyclae or Amyklai () 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 of the most celebr ...

to the sea. It was mentioned in the

Catalog of ships Catalog or catalogue may refer to: *Cataloging **in science and technology ***Library catalog, a catalog of books and other media **** Union catalog, a combined library catalog describing the collections of a number of libraries *** Calendar (ar ...

in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) 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 ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

, and was one of the ancient

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek language, Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwest ...

n 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 ...

, 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 Aristomenes () was a king of Messenia, celebrated for his struggle with the Spartans in the Second Messenian War (685–668 BC), and his resistance to them on Mount Eira for 11 years. At length the mountain fell to the enemy, while he escaped ...

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.L. G. Pechatnova, ''A History of Sparta (Archaic ...

. It is also mentioned in a corrupt passage of

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

, and by other ancient writers. Pharis has been rightly placed at the deserted village of Vaphio, which lies south of the site of Amyclae, and contains an ancient "Treasury," like those of

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

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 (; ) was a Greek king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', the Trojan war began as a result of Menelaus's wife, Helen, fleeing to Troy with the Trojan prince Paris. Menelaus was a central ...

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. 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 Places in the Iliad {{AncientLaconia-geo-stub