believed by the population of the Archaic Period to have been Menelaos and Helen. Classical Sparta The classical-era city of Sparta was built on the west bank of the Eurotas about halfway down the valley. The Spartans made little use of the left bank of the river: Only one permanent bridge has been found that crossed to it, at Therapne just south of the city. The main traffic was southward to the port of Gytheio, which was the most convenient outlet. All others involved a trek over mountains. Post-classical Laconia Modern Laconia is a political subdivision of Greece covering the Eurotas Valley, the massifs on either side, the two headlands, and the enclosed Laconian Gulf with its coastal islands. Its seat is the city of Sparta, as in ancient times, at a site which dominated and still dominates the valley from its central position. However, the rich-soil plain is entirely divided into villages that practice agriculture, viticulture, and arboriculture intensely. The main roads from Sparta form a branching network leading out radially from the city to connect other cities and towns in the valley. A web of secondary roads fills in the spaces between the main roads. Ecology In modern times, much of the river water is used for irrigation, with the result that the Eurotas is almost dry during the summer months. The waters of the Eurotas are used to irrigate mainly citrus crops, for which Laconia is famous. The plain of Elos near the river's mouth is particularly fertile farmland. In the winter months, the Eurotas is prone to flooding. On 24 November 2005 heavy floods damaged buildings and stranded automobiles in the streets, and harmed orchards, including the valley's famous orange and olive groves. The floods affected many villages along the valley as well as the town of Gytheio; of land was ruined. Currently the nitrate waste from fertilizers is polluting the river, aggravated by diminished flow because of the irrigation demands on it. Geology Geomorphology The Eurotas River occupies the floor of a rift valley, or graben, created by extensional forces acting over the Hellenic Plate in a northeast-southwest direction. The corresponding fault-block mountains are the Taygetus Massif on the west and the Parnon Massif on the east – both limestone ridges derived from a former sea bed. On the east side of Taygetus is the Sparta Fault, a normal fault, which strikes in a zig-zag