Ancient Pellana, north of Sparta, was an important Mycenaean centre whose story runs parallel to Sparta's. The excavator Theodoros Spyropoulos believed it was 'Homeric Lacedaemon', and tradition places the palace of Menelaus and Helen here.
On Paleokastro hill you can see remains from 2500 BC to Hellenistic times and an ancient paved road climbing to the top. The Mycenaean cemetery at Spilies, 1 km north of the village, has rock-cut vaulted tombs, the largest a royal tomb of about 1500 BC. Visits are arranged through the Ephorate of Antiquities.