Maniots /Spartans

[Promethean Fire]

This is absolutely fascinating...hope i got some of that gene passed down to me....

When the Roman commander Flamininus invaded Laconia and laid siege to Sparta, after a few days of fighting a non honorable truce was accepted by Sparta, in which was loosing all the Perioikic cities on the coasts and her fleet.
Later with the pretence of helping Sparta, the Aitolians sent a thousand soldiers to kill Nabis and secure Sparta. They managed to kill him but they all were massacred from the Spartans. After Nabis assassination, Sparta was forced by Philopoemen to become a member of the Achaean league. Her walls were razed and the laws of Lykurgos repealed.
Under the Romans in the 2nd century AD, Laconia as a province of Achaea was allowed to revert to a Lykurgian regime.
In 396 AD, the city was destroyed by Alaric.
In the 9th century AD, the Slavs invaded and the population was forced to migrate to Mani.
The Byzantines refound a town and named her Lacedaemonia but her importance had been lost by 1248 AD and disappeared from history totally, by 1834 AD.
Today the city of modern Sparta occupies the very same territory of the ancient city.

http://www.sikyon.com/sparta/history_eg.html


Ethnology
The inhabitants of Mani consider themselves direct descendants of the ancient Spartans. After the Romans took over Laconia, many of the citizens who were loyal to the laws of Lycurgus decided to flee to the mountains of Mani rather than be in Achean or, later, Roman service.[91] Even though it seems highly unlikely, Kassis claims that Maniots rarely mated with non-Maniots until the 20th century.[92]

Mani became a refuge during the 4th century when the barbarian invasions started in Europe. When the Avars and Slavs invaded the Peloponnese, many Greek refugees fled to Mani since the invaders could not infiltrate the mountainous terrain. According to Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the Maniots were not conquered by the Slavs, Be it known that the inhabitants of Castle Maina are not from the race of aforesaid Slavs but from the older Romaioi, who up to the present time are termed Hellenes.[19]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniots

After 300 A.D they converted to Christianity? Can someone back this up?
History
Mani remained free of conquest throughout the ages with one of the influencing factors being it's geographical location, and natural ruggedness. Out of this environment a regional civilization grew and flourished where strong traditions and customs are still upheld. The maniots were always ready to bear arms as they held their freedom in high esteem and were never seen to lay their arms down, especially throughout the duration of the Greek Struggle for independence.
In ancient times Mani formed a part of Sparta however during the Roman times it formed a federation of 18 settlements known by the name 'The Society of Lakedemon which survived until the middle of the 3rd century A.D. During the Byzantine period the population was introduced to Christianity and converted in the 6th century A.D in isolated pockets in the coastal areas and there is reference to the Mani being a diocese in the 9th century A.D although complete conversion probably did not occur for another 100 years or so. Nikon the Metaniote, a ninth century monk came to Mani to assist and support the conversion of the Maniots to Christianity.

http://www.mani.org.au/history.asp