Temple of Poseidon (Tainaron)

The geographer Pausanias wrote of a cave-like temple with a statue to Poseidon at its entrance.

When Sparta was devastated by an earthquake in 464 BC, it was said that the cause had been Poseidon's vengeance on the Spartan ephors after they had killed helots who had taken refuge at the sanctuary.

It is thought that the sanctuary at Tainaron dates at least to a time when the helots were still independent, before they had been subjugated by the Spartans.

Scholars believe that the stelai and Tainaron's historical role as a recruiting base for mercenaries were connected to Poseidon's sanctuary.

The official name of the god of the sanctuary attested by literature and inscriptions is "Poseidon at Tainaron".