Today's Passage
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), one of the largest hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Such was the battle, as nearly as possible as I have described it; the greatest that had occurred for a very long while among the Hellenes, and joined by the most considerable states. The Lacedaemonians took up a position in front of the enemy’s dead, and immediately set up a trophy and stripped the slain; they took up their own dead and carried them back to Tegea, where they buried them, and restored those of the enemy under truce. The Argives, Orneans, and Cleonaeans had seven hundred killed; the Mantineans two hundred, and the Athenians and Aeginetans also two hundred, with both their generals. On the side of the Lacedaemonians, the allies did not suffer any loss worth speaking of: as to the Lacedaemonians themselves it was difficult to learn the truth; it is said, however, that there were slain about three hundred of them.
While the battle was impending, Pleistoanax, the other king, set out with a reinforcement composed of the oldest and youngest men, and got as far as Tegea, where he heard of the victory and went back again. The Lacedaemonians also sent and turned back the allies from Corinth and from beyond the Isthmus, and returning themselves dismissed their allies, and kept the Carnean holidays, which happened to be at that time. The imputations cast upon them by the Hellenes at the time, whether of cowardice on account of the disaster in the island, or of mismanagement and slowness generally, were all wiped out by this single action: fortune, it was thought, might have humbled them, but the men themselves were the same as ever.
The day before this battle, the Epidaurians with all their forces invaded the deserted Argive territory, and cut off many of the guards left there in the absence of the Argive army. After the battle three thousand Elean heavy infantry arriving to aid the Mantineans, and a reinforcement of one thousand Athenians, all these allies marched at once against Epidaurus, while the Lacedaemonians were keeping the Carnea, and dividing the work among them began to build a wall round the city. The rest left off; but the Athenians finished at once the part assigned to them round Cape Heraeum; and having all joined in leaving a garrison in the fortification in question, they returned to their respective cities.
Modern Translation
This battle stands as the most significant clash among the Greeks in recent memory, involving the most powerful city-states of the age. Following their victory, the Spartans positioned themselves before the enemy dead, erected a trophy on the battlefield, and stripped the fallen of their armor. They collected their own casualties and transported them to Tegea for burial, while returning the enemy dead under the customary truce. The coalition forces suffered heavy losses: seven hundred Argives, Orneans, and Cleonaeans fell; two hundred Mantineans perished; and the Athenians and Aeginetans lost two hundred men, including both their commanders. The Spartan allies emerged relatively unscathed, while Spartan casualties remain disputed—though reports suggest approximately three hundred died.
As the battle approached, King Pleistoanax led reinforcements of the oldest and youngest citizens toward the battlefield, reaching Tegea before news of the victory prompted his return. The Spartans recalled their allies from Corinth and beyond the Isthmus, dismissed their forces, and observed the Carnean festival then underway. This single victory erased the criticisms that Greeks had leveled against Sparta—accusations of cowardice following their defeat at Sphacteria, and charges of general incompetence and sluggishness. While fortune may have previously worked against them, the Spartans proved their fundamental character remained unchanged.
The day before the battle, Epidaurian forces had invaded the undefended Argive territory, killing many of the skeleton garrison left behind. After the battle, three thousand Elean hoplites arrived to support Mantinea, along with a thousand Athenian reinforcements. These allied forces immediately marched on Epidaurus while the Spartans observed their religious festival. They divided the construction work and began building siege walls around the city. Though most contingents abandoned their sections, the Athenians completed their assigned portion near Cape Heraeum. After establishing a joint garrison in the fortifications, the various allied forces returned to their home cities.
Historical Context
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Mantinea (418 BCE), one of the largest hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War. The Spartans, led by King Agis II, had just defeated a coalition of Argos, Mantinea, Athens, and other democratic allies. The victory restored Spartan military prestige after their shocking defeat at Sphacteria (425 BCE), where 120 Spartiates had surrendered. The battle's significance extended beyond military considerations—it represented a clash between Spartan oligarchy and the democratic alliance system Athens had been building in the Peloponnese. The religious observance of the Carnean festival, which had previously prevented Spartan participation at Marathon and Thermopylae, demonstrates how religious obligations continued to shape military operations. The subsequent attack on Epidaurus shows how quickly the strategic situation shifted despite Sparta's victory.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Battle of Sphacteria
The 'disaster in the island' refers to the Battle of Sphacteria (425 BCE), where Athenian forces trapped and forced the surrender of 292 Spartan hoplites, including 120 Spartiates. This unprecedented surrender shattered the myth of Spartan invincibility and gave Athens significant leverage in negotiations.
Learn more →Carnean Festival
The Carneia was a major Spartan religious festival honoring Apollo Karneios, held in late summer. Military operations were forbidden during this period, which had previously prevented Spartan participation at Marathon (490 BCE) and delayed their arrival at Thermopylae (480 BCE).
Learn more →Greek Battle Trophies
The tropaion (trophy) was a monument erected on the battlefield where the enemy turned to flee. Constructed from captured arms and armor, it served as both a religious dedication and a claim to victory. The victor's right to erect a trophy and recover their dead was fundamental to Greek warfare conventions.
Learn more →Hoplite Warfare
This battle exemplified classical Greek hoplite warfare, where heavily armed citizen-soldiers fought in close formation. The casualty figures—hundreds dead on each side—reflect the intensity of hoplite combat, where battles were decided by the cohesion and morale of the phalanx rather than tactical maneuver.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.78-79)
Diodorus provides an alternative account of the Battle of Mantinea, offering different casualty figures and emphasizing the role of King Agis II in the Spartan victory. His version helps corroborate Thucydides' assessment of the battle's significance.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (15.1-2)
Plutarch discusses the political context of the Argive alliance that led to Mantinea, particularly Alcibiades' role in orchestrating the anti-Spartan coalition. This provides insight into the Athenian strategic thinking behind the battle.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (5.2.1-7)
Though describing a later period, Xenophon's account of the second Battle of Mantinea (362 BCE) provides interesting parallels in terms of coalition warfare and the strategic importance of Mantinea in controlling the Peloponnese.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Thucydides' uncertainty about Spartan casualties reflect broader challenges in writing ancient history? What might account for Sparta's apparent secrecy about their losses?
- Why was the Battle of Mantinea so significant for Spartan reputation? How does military success relate to political legitimacy in the Greek world?
- How do religious obligations (like the Carnean festival) complicate our understanding of ancient Greek warfare? Does piety conflict with strategic necessity?
- What does the immediate pivot to attacking Epidaurus reveal about the nature of alliance warfare in classical Greece? Why couldn't the Spartan victory produce lasting stability?