Sparta 2.4 - The Military

Can be asked specifics on Brasidas, Lysander, Gylippus, the Helot Revolt, Pylos, Brasisas' Thracian campaign, Mantinea

Aelian Miscellaneous History 12.43

• C3 ce. Roman hellenophile, writing to entertain

• In a passage mostly about bastard children who rose to great power, Callicratidas, Gylippus, and Lysander are all called Mothakes

• “the servants of rich men, whom they sent along with their sons to the places of exercise to be educated with them”

Plutarch Lysander 16

• C2 Greek biographer writing to moralise a Roman audience

• Lysander sails to Thrace, sending some of his spoils back with Gylippus

• Gylippus steals from the sacks of treasure, “not knowing that there was writing in each indicating the sum it held”

• Ephors solve the missing money problem by a riddle about “owls sleeping under the tiling” from one of Gylippus’ servants

Plutarch Lycurgus 30

• C2 Greek biographer writing to moralise a Roman audience

• Gold and silver coinage arrive in Sparta under Agis due to Lysander’s success

• Sparta used to be able to command all of Greece “often without so much as moving a single shield, but merely sending one ambassador”

• Disagrees with the idea that the Spartans “knew how to obey” but not command, as “men will not consent to obey those who have not the ability to rule”

• “A good leader makes good followers”

• Notes that allies would request “a single Spartan commander”, and treat them “with honour and reverence” as happened to Gylippus, Brasidas, Lysander, Callicratidas, Agisilaos

Thucydides 1.80

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Speech of king Archidamus against war with the Athenians - use 1.22 for criticism of this lovely piece of debating rhetoric

• Highlights Athenian wealth, naval power, highly prepared forces, “tribute paying allies”

Thucydides 1.101-103

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Thrasians ask for a distraction to rebel in the form of a Spartan invasion of Attica, which they would have done if not for the earthquake

• Helots and two perioikic towns take Mt. Ithome

• Cimon leads Athenians support due to Spartan weakness in siegecraft

• Spartans dismiss Athens, afraid that they would switch sides, “saying that they had no need of them”

• The jilted Athenians ally with Argos and Thessaly

• Ithome surrenders after ten years under armistice to “depart from the Peloponnese under safe conduct”, where the Athenians use them as colonisers of Naupactus

• Spartan mercy informed by an oracle about the site

Thucydides 2.91-92

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• 429 battle of Naupactus

• The winning Spartan ships chase the Athenians, causing them to break rank

• Athenians able to maneuver around the back and become the attackers

• Both sides set up a trophy

• Spartan fleet clearly less skilled and disciplined

Thucydides 3.31

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Alcidas advocates that the Spartans to lead an Ionian revolt to “deprive Athens of her chief source of revenue”

• This was hoped to encourage Pissuthnes’ involvement

Thucydides 4.8

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Archidamian army, returning from Attica, go to aid Pylos

• High priority, with troops ordered “as soon as possible”, and ships from Corcyra “dragged across the isthmus of Leucas” to avoid the Athenian fleet at Zacynthus

• Demosthenes, predicting this, summons Athenian reinforcements

• Thucydides gives some outrageously inaccurate measurements for this harbour, with the Spartans seeming to believe that they could fill the “narrow entrances”

• Spartan hoplites placed on the woody Sphacteria to prevent Athenians landing there

• Force of “420 hoplites with helots to attend on them” on Sphacteria under the command of Epitadas

4.15-16

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• The seriousness of Pylos necessitated that “members of the government” should go to work on an armistice

• Ambassadors sent to Athens “with a view to ending the war and so getting back their own men as soon as possible”

• Armistice at Pylos has Sparta hand over possibly all of their warships in the area (60) in return for being allowed “under Athenian supervision” to give rations to those on the island

• Athenians “should continue to keep watch” but not attack

Thucydides 4.23

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Ambassadors return, ending the armistice at Pylos

• Athenians refuse to return Spartan ships

• Hostilities worsen, with Athens constantly patrolling the island and “the whole fleet” anchoring around it at night

Thucydides 4.26

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Siege of Sphacteria difficult on Athens, who are maintaining their large force on one spring as Sparta is occupying the land

• Spartans had been freeing helots and paying highly in return for sneaking food onto the island

• Small boats and divers succeed in bringing supplies, but many are caught by the Athenian guard

Thucydides 4.38

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Sphacteria Spartans surrender, and are told by those on the mainland “to make your own decision about yourselves, so long as you do nothing dishonourable”

• 292 hoplites taken to Athens, of whom c.120 “were of the Spartan officer class”

Thucydides 4.117

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• 1 year armistice, which the Athenians hope will slow Brasidas down, and the Spartans hope will make the Athenians reluctant to fight again

• Spartans eager to get their prisoners back while Brasidas remained winning

Thucydides 5.16

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Cleon and Brasidas, “the two people who on each side had been most opposed to peace”, had died at Amphipolis

• Pleistoanax and Nikias negotiate peace

Thucydides 5.34

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Domestic consequences of the Archidamian War

• The helots “who had fought with Brasidas” are freed, settling in Lapreum

• Sphacteria captives “deprived of citizenship”, though this was later reversed

Thucydides 5.63-74

• Contemporary disgraced Athenian general turned military historian

• Agis returns after having made a deal, rather than war, with Argos, which the Spartans are “extremely indignant” about

• As a compromise punishment, “ten Spartans of the officer class” have to act as Agis’ advisors on campaign