Today's Passage
This passage describes the battle formations at the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), one of the largest hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
In this battle the left wing was composed of the Sciritae, who in a Lacedaemonian army have always that post to themselves alone; next to these were the soldiers of Brasidas from Thrace, and the Neodamodes with them; then came the Lacedaemonians themselves, company after company, with the Arcadians of Heraea at their side. After these were the Maenalians, and on the right wing the Tegeans with a few of the Lacedaemonians at the extremity; their cavalry being posted upon the two wings. Such was the Lacedaemonian formation. That of their opponents was as follows: On the right were the Mantineans, the action taking place in their country; next to them the allies from Arcadia; after whom came the thousand picked men of the Argives, to whom the state had given a long course of military training at the public expense; next to them the rest of the Argives, and after them their allies, the Cleonaeans and Orneans, and lastly the Athenians on the extreme left, and lastly the Athenians on the extreme left, and their own cavalry with them.
Such were the order and the forces of the two combatants. The Lacedaemonian army looked the largest; though as to putting down the numbers of either host, or of the contingents composing it, I could not do so with any accuracy. Owing to the secrecy of their government the number of the Lacedaemonians was not known, and men are so apt to brag about the forces of their country that the estimate of their opponents was not trusted. The following calculation, however, makes it possible to estimate the numbers of the Lacedaemonians present upon this occasion. There were seven companies in the field without counting the Sciritae, who numbered six hundred men: in each company there were four Pentecostyes, and in the Pentecosty four Enomoties. The first rank of the Enomoty was composed of four soldiers: as to the depth, although they had not been all drawn up alike, but as each captain chose, they were generally ranged eight deep; the first rank along the whole line, exclusive of the Sciritae, consisted of four hundred and forty-eight men.
Modern Translation
The Spartan battle formation was arranged as follows: the Sciritae held the left wing, a position they traditionally occupied alone in any Spartan army. Next to them stood Brasidas's troops from Thrace alongside the Neodamodes. Then came the Spartans themselves, arranged by company, with the Arcadians from Heraea beside them. The Maenalians followed, and on the right wing were positioned the Tegeans with a small contingent of Spartans at the very end. Cavalry units were stationed on both wings. This was the Spartan arrangement. Their enemies lined up differently: the Mantineans held the right wing, since the battle was taking place in their territory. Next came their Arcadian allies, followed by the thousand elite Argive troops who had received extensive military training at state expense. After them came the main Argive force, then their allies from Cleonae and Orneae, and finally the Athenians on the far left with their cavalry. These were the battle formations and forces of both sides. The Spartan army appeared larger, though I cannot provide exact numbers for either army or their individual contingents with any precision. The secretive nature of Spartan government meant their numbers remained unknown, while the tendency of men to exaggerate their country's military strength made enemy estimates unreliable. However, the following calculation allows us to estimate the Spartan numbers on this occasion. Seven companies took the field, not counting the six hundred Sciritae. Each company contained four pentecostyes, and each pentecosty had four enomoties. The front rank of each enomoty consisted of four soldiers. While the depth varied according to each captain's preference, they were typically arranged eight deep. Thus the front line, excluding the Sciritae, numbered four hundred and forty-eight men.
Historical Context
This passage describes the battle formations at the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), one of the largest hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War. The Spartans, led by King Agis II, faced a coalition of democratic states including Athens, Argos, and Mantinea. This confrontation represented a crucial test of Spartan military supremacy after the Peace of Nicias. Thucydides provides rare detail about Spartan military organization, including the hierarchical structure of their army (enomoty, pentecosty, company). His methodological comments about the difficulty of obtaining accurate numbers reflect his historiographical principles - acknowledging limitations while attempting rational calculation. The battle would result in a decisive Spartan victory, temporarily restoring their dominance in the Peloponnese.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Spartan Military Organization
The passage reveals the hierarchical structure of the Spartan army: enomoty (smallest unit of 32-40 men), pentecosty (128-160 men), and lochos or company (512-640 men). This organization allowed for flexible tactical deployment and maintained the famous Spartan discipline through clear command structures.
Learn more →Neodamodes
The Neodamodes were freed helots who served as hoplites in the Spartan army. Their presence here indicates Sparta's manpower challenges and social changes during the Peloponnesian War, as they increasingly relied on non-citizen soldiers to maintain military strength.
Learn more →Battle of Mantinea
This battle (418 BCE) was the largest hoplite engagement of the Peloponnesian War. Despite initial tactical errors by King Agis, Spartan discipline and training prevailed, demonstrating their continued military superiority and temporarily crushing the democratic coalition opposing them.
Learn more →Thucydidean Method
Thucydides' admission about the difficulty of obtaining accurate numbers exemplifies his critical historical method. Unlike Herodotus, he explicitly acknowledges his sources' limitations and attempts mathematical calculations to achieve the most accurate estimates possible.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Xenophon: Constitution of the Lacedaemonians (11.4-8)
Xenophon provides detailed information about Spartan military organization and the role of different units, complementing Thucydides' description of the battle formation and hierarchy.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Agesilaus (32-33)
Though describing a later period, Plutarch discusses similar Spartan military formations and the traditional positioning of allied forces, showing continuity in Spartan tactical arrangements.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.78-79)
Diodorus provides an alternative account of the Battle of Mantinea with different numerical estimates, illustrating the historiographical challenges Thucydides mentions regarding accurate force numbers.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Thucydides' admission about the difficulty of obtaining accurate numbers reflect his approach to writing history? What does this tell us about ancient historiography?
- What can we learn about Spartan society from the presence of Neodamodes and allies in their battle line? How does this challenge popular perceptions of Spartan military exclusivity?
- Why might the position of different contingents in the battle line matter? Consider both tactical and political implications of the arrangements described.
- How does Thucydides balance the competing demands of narrative detail and historical accuracy in this passage? What choices does he make as a historian?