ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the painting At Leonidas' Tomb by Jan Styka represents a mystic intercourse in a 'realistic' manner: three men (the painter himself and his two sons) are experiencing the appearance of two ghosts inside the ruins of the so-called 'Leonidas' Tomb'. It presents a short story of Spartan ghosts wandering over Sparta, as archaeologists, writers, artists, experience them in modern times. Ancient Sparta was a famous imaginary landscape, due to its reputation in ancient literature. At the beginning of 1837 the authorities were installed in the new town. The construction of the city encountered problems with the water supply, but also met fierce reactions by many inhabitants of Mystras. As modern Sparta was resuscitated from ruins, Mystras was gradually abandoned and fell into ruin. By the beginning of the 20th century, the whole city of Mystras was transformed into a 'monument', a huge haunted 'necropolis', a 'ghost-city', as it is described by almost all tourist guides.
