User:Pdekyvere/Platanistas

In Ancient Greece, Platanistas (in Ancient Greek ὁ Πλατανιστάς / ho Platanistás, Litterary ' the site with the Platanus', was a quarter of  Sparta where multiple rituals from spartan education as well as several religieus ceremonies were held.

Description
According to Pausanias, Platanistas is located not far from the Dromos (literally, "the race track", where the main athletic facilities of Sparta were located), between the theater and the enclosure of the city. A héroôn (sanctuary of heroes) dedicated to Cynisca, daughter of Archidamos II and sister of Agis II and Agesilaus II, is also nearby.

The site is enclosed by a uninterrupted hedge of Plane Trees, itself surrounded by a canal which creates a kind of artificial Island. Two bridges give access to the outside; One is adorned by the statue of Heracles, the other by the statue of Lycurgus of Sparta.

The battle of ephebes
Platanistas is the scene of a ritual battle where two groups of ephebess clash. Before the ceremony, the young men gather at night at Phoibaion, a shrine nearby Therapne, to sacrifice each, a black puppy to Enyalios, god of war assimilated to Ares. Afterwards, they organize a wild boar fight which provides a good omen to the owner of the winning animal. Some time later, most likely at the morning before the fight, the éphèbes provide a sacrifice to Achilles, at the Heroon located on the road to Arcadia. The evening of the fight, the participants get assigned a gate, from which to enter the Platanistas, by draw. . On the day of the ceremony, the two groups enter the islet a little before noon.

Pausanias notes: There, fists, kicks, a violent fight; one tries to tear each other's eyes apart, one bites one another, one presses one's other hand-to-hand: one troop falls on the other, and each one tries to push his opponent into the water.

In his citation, Lucian writes : ''Separated into phalanges, naked like our athletes, they attack each other as enemies and fight until one of the two parties has driven the other out of this enclosure, which the Hercules faction, for example, has forced that of Lycurgus to jump into the water. From this moment peace is reborn between them, and no one bears a single blow''

Cicero Testifies in a similar fashion: I saw there myself troops of young men bent on fighting each other with their fists and feet, tearing each other's teeth and nails with incredible obstinacy, and finally dying rather than to confess to be defeated.