Editing Nemea (section)

==Myth, legend and history==
[[File:Nemea - Apodyteria.jpg|thumb|The [[apodyterium]] near the stadion]]
[[File:Nemea - Temple of Zeus.jpg|thumb|Temple of Zeus]]
In [[Greek mythology]], Nemea was ruled by king [[Lycurgus (of Nemea)|Lycurgus]] and queen Eurydice. Nemea was famous in Greek myth as the home of the [[Nemean Lion]], which was killed by the hero [[Heracles]],<ref name=Pausanias>In the late 2nd century CE, the traveller [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] was shown the lion's cave, fifteen [[furlong]]s from the sanctuary (Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'', II.15.2–.4).</ref>  and as the place where the infant [[Opheltes]], lying on a bed of [[parsley]], was killed by a serpent while his nurse [[Hypsipyle]] fetched water for the [[Seven against Thebes]] on their way from [[Ancient Argos|Argos]] to [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]. The Seven founded the [[Nemean Games]] in his memory, according to its [[Aition|''aition'', or founding myth]], accounting for the crown of victory being made of parsley or the wild form of [[celery]] and for the black robes of the judges, interpreted as a sign of mourning. The Nemean Games were documented from 573&nbsp;BC, or earlier, at the sanctuary of [[Zeus]] at Nemea.<ref>They were informally revived in 1996 (Miller 2000, below)</ref>

At the ''[[temenos]]'', the grave of Opheltes was surrounded by open-air altars and enclosed within a stone wall.<ref name=Pausanias/> The sanctuary's necessary spring was named [[Adrasteia]]: [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] wondered whether it had the name  because an "Adrastos" had "discovered" it,<ref name=Pausanias/> but Adrasteia, the "inescapable one", was a nurse of the infant Zeus in Crete. The [[tumulus]] nearby was credited as the burial mound of his father, and the men of [[Ancient Argos|Argos]] had the privilege of naming the priest of Nemean Zeus, Pausanias was informed when he visited in the late 2nd century CE. In his time the temple, which he noted was "worth seeing", stood in a [[Sacred grove|grove of cypresses]]; its roof had fallen in and there was no [[cult image]] within the temple. Three [[limestone]] columns of the Temple of Nemean Zeus of about 330&nbsp;BC have stood since their construction, and two more were reconstructed in 2002.<ref>[http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/uchistory/pubs_resources/journals/chronicle/issue4/Miller1.pdf Stephen G. Miller, "The Temple of Nemean Zeus: a California landmark", ''Chronicle of the University of California'', Fall 2000:127ff]</ref>  As of late 2007, four more are being re-erected.<ref>The re-erection of some columns by the [[University of California at Berkeley]] is described in Miller 2000.</ref> Three orders of architecture were employed at this temple, which stands at the end of the Classic period and presages this and other developments of [[Ancient Greek architecture|Hellenistic architecture]], such as the slenderness (a height of 6.34 column diameters) of the [[Doric order|Doric columns]] of the exterior.<ref>Miller 2000.</ref> The site around the temple has been excavated in annual campaigns since 1973: the great open-air altar, [[Thermae|baths]], and ancient accommodations for visitors have been unearthed. The temple stands on the site of an [[Archaic period in Greece|Archaic period]] temple, of which only a foundation wall is still visible. The [[Stadion (ancient sports)|stadion]] has recently been discovered. It is notable for its well-preserved vaulted entrance tunnel, dated to about 320&nbsp;BC, with ancient graffiti on the walls.

The material discovered in the excavations is on display in an on-site museum constructed as a part of the [[University of California]]'s [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavation]]s.

In 2018, archaeologists discovered  a large, intact tomb dating to the early [[Mycenaean era]] (1650–1400 B.C.).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archaeology.org/news/7013-181004-nemea-mycenaean-tomb|title=Intact Mycenaean Tomb Discovered in Greece|work=Archaeology|date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

===The Battle of the Nemea River===
In 394&nbsp;BC the [[Battle of Nemea|Battle of the Nemea River]] was fought between [[History of Sparta|Sparta]] and her [[Achaia]]n, [[Ancient Elis|Elean]], [[Mantinea]]n, and the [[Tegea]]te allies  against a coalition of Boeotians, Euboeans, Athenians, Corinthians, and Argives. This was to be the last clear-cut victory that Sparta enjoyed. The tactics were similar to all other Greek [[hoplite]] battles, except that when the armies were arrayed, with the Spartans having the customary honour of being on the right, the army drifted right as it advanced. This was not good for the Spartan allies, as it exposed the soldiers to a flanking attack, but it gave the Spartans the opportunity to use their superior coordination and discipline to roll up the flank of the Athenians, who were stationed opposite.

The result of the battle was a victory for Sparta, even though her allies on the left suffered significant losses. This willingness to accept losses on the left flank for flanking position on the right was a dramatic change from typical conservative hoplite military tactics.