Today's Passage
This passage describes the climactic phase of the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), the largest hoplite battle of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
However, as he gave these orders in the moment of the onset, and at short notice, it so happened that Aristocles and Hipponoidas would not move over, for which offence they were afterwards banished from Sparta, as having been guilty of cowardice; and the enemy meanwhile closed before the Sciritae (whom Agis on seeing that the two companies did not move over ordered to return to their place) had time to fill up the breach in question. Now it was, however, that the Lacedaemonians, utterly worsted in respect of skill, showed themselves as superior in point of courage. As soon as they came to close quarters with the enemy, the Mantinean right broke their Sciritae and Brasideans, and, bursting in with their allies and the thousand picked Argives into the unclosed breach in their line, cut up and surrounded the Lacedaemonians, and drove them in full rout to the wagons, slaying some of the older men on guard there. But the Lacedaemonians, worsted in this part of the field, with the rest of their army, and especially the centre, where the three hundred knights, as they are called, fought round King Agis, fell on the older men of the Argives and the five companies so named, and on the Cleonaeans, the Orneans, and the Athenians next them, and instantly routed them; the greater number not even waiting to strike a blow, but giving way the moment that they came on, some even being trodden under foot, in their fear of being overtaken by their assailants.
The army of the Argives and their allies, having given way in this quarter, was now completely cut in two, and the Lacedaemonian and Tegean right simultaneously closing round the Athenians with the troops that outflanked them, these last found themselves placed between two fires, being surrounded on one side and already defeated on the other. Indeed they would have suffered more severely than any other part of the army, but for the services of the cavalry which they had with them. Agis also on perceiving the distress of his left opposed to the Mantineans and the thousand Argives, ordered all the army to advance to the support of the defeated wing; and while this took place, as the enemy moved past and slanted away from them, the Athenians escaped at their leisure, and with them the beaten Argive division. Meanwhile the Mantineans and their allies and the picked body of the Argives ceased to press the enemy, and seeing their friends defeated and the Lacedaemonians in full advance upon them, took to flight. Many of the Mantineans perished; but the bulk of the picked body of the Argives made good their escape. The flight and retreat, however, were neither hurried nor long; the Lacedaemonians fighting long and stubbornly until the rout of their enemy, but that once effected, pursuing for a short time and not far.
Modern Translation
However, since Agis issued these commands in the heat of battle and on such short notice, it turned out that Aristocles and Hipponoidas failed to execute their maneuver. For this failure, they were later exiled from Sparta on charges of cowardice. Meanwhile, the enemy forces had already engaged before the Sciritae—whom Agis, seeing that the two companies hadn't moved, ordered to return to their original position—could fill the gap that had opened in the line. It was at this moment that the Lacedaemonians, though completely outmaneuvered tactically, demonstrated their superior courage. When the armies clashed, the Mantinean right wing shattered the Sciritae and Brasideans. Pouring through with their allies and the thousand elite Argive troops into the still-open gap in the Spartan line, they surrounded and cut down the Lacedaemonians, driving them in complete disorder back to their supply wagons, where they killed some of the elderly guards stationed there. Yet while the Lacedaemonians suffered defeat in this sector, the rest of their army—particularly the center, where the three hundred Knights fought alongside King Agis—charged into the veteran Argive troops, the five designated companies, the Cleonaeans, Orneans, and the Athenians positioned beside them, routing them instantly. Most didn't even attempt to fight but fled immediately upon contact, some actually being trampled in their panic to escape.
With this section of their line broken, the army of Argos and its allies was now split completely in two. The Lacedaemonian and Tegean right wing simultaneously wheeled around the Athenians with their overlapping troops, catching them in a pincer movement—surrounded on one flank and already defeated on the other. They would have suffered the worst casualties of any unit in the battle if not for their cavalry, which provided crucial support. Agis, observing his left wing struggling against the Mantineans and the thousand Argives, ordered his entire force to advance and reinforce the failing sector. As the Spartans shifted position, moving past and away from them at an angle, the Athenians managed to withdraw safely, along with the defeated Argive units. Meanwhile, the Mantineans with their allies and the elite Argive force stopped pressing their attack when they saw their comrades routed and the full Lacedaemonian army bearing down on them, and fled. Many Mantineans died in the retreat, though most of the elite Argives escaped successfully. Their withdrawal, however, was neither panicked nor prolonged; the Lacedaemonians characteristically fought with sustained determination until their enemies broke, but once victory was secured, pursued only briefly and not far.
Historical Context
This passage describes the climactic phase of the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), the largest hoplite battle of the Peloponnesian War. The Spartans, led by King Agis II, faced a coalition of Argos, Mantinea, Athens, and other allies. The battle began with a critical tactical error when Spartan officers failed to execute Agis's last-minute maneuver, creating a gap in their line. Despite this initial disaster and the routing of their left wing, Spartan discipline and the personal leadership of Agis at the center turned the tide. The battle demonstrated both Spartan military superiority and the limitations of their rigid command structure. This Spartan victory effectively ended Athenian attempts to build an anti-Spartan coalition in the Peloponnese and restored Spartan hegemony in the region.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Spartan Military Organization
The 'three hundred knights' (hippeis) were elite infantry who served as the king's bodyguard, despite their name. This unit represented the cream of Spartan warriors, selected annually from men in their prime. Their presence at the center with King Agis proved decisive in breaking the enemy line.
Learn more →Hoplite Warfare Tactics
The passage illustrates classic hoplite battle dynamics: the tendency of phalanxes to drift right (causing gaps), the importance of maintaining formation, and how battles often hinged on which side's line broke first. The Mantinean exploitation of the gap shows sophisticated tactical awareness.
Learn more →Battle of Mantinea
This 418 BCE battle was the largest set-piece hoplite engagement of the Peloponnesian War, involving approximately 20,000 men. Despite initial tactical failures, Spartan victory here effectively destroyed the anti-Spartan alliance and reasserted Spartan dominance in the Peloponnese.
Learn more →Spartan Command Structure
The failure of Aristocles and Hipponoidas reveals tensions in Spartan military hierarchy. Their subsequent exile for 'cowardice' (likely scapegoating for following unclear orders) shows how Sparta's rigid military culture could punish tactical flexibility or confusion in battle.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (Book 12.79)
Diodorus provides an alternative account of the Battle of Mantinea, with different casualty figures and less detail about the tactical movements, but confirms the decisive Spartan victory.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (15.1-2)
Plutarch mentions Alcibiades's role in forming the alliance that led to Mantinea, providing context for why Athens was involved in this primarily Peloponnesian conflict.
Read passage →Xenophon: Constitution of the Lacedaemonians (11.4-8)
Xenophon describes the Spartan military system and the role of the hippeis, helping explain why the three hundred around Agis were so effective in this battle.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this battle illustrate the tension between individual initiative and military discipline in ancient warfare? Consider the fate of Aristocles and Hipponoidas.
- What does Thucydides mean by distinguishing between 'skill' and 'courage' in warfare? How does this reflect broader Greek values?
- Why might the Lacedaemonians have pursued only 'for a short time and not far'? What does this reveal about Spartan military doctrine?
- How does the role of cavalry in saving the Athenians challenge our understanding of hoplite warfare as primarily infantry-based?