History 310: Military (cont.)

History/Classics 310

Athenian Empire: 480-404 B.C.

Index

Syllabus:
Structure
Schedule

Readings:
Book List
Reserve Readings
Themistocles Decree
Megarian Decree
Athenian Treaties

Chronologies:
Early Sparta and Athens
514-482 B.C.
Pentekontaeteia, 479-431 B.C.
Peloponnesian War

Handouts:
Finances in Athens
Greek Coinage and Measures
Military

Links

MILITARY: BATTLES AND COUPS

I.	Sailing Distances and Speeds
II.	Oligarchic Coup
III.	Alternate Accounts of Fall of the Thirty
IV.	Naval Losses in the Ionian War
V.	Forces Engaged at the Battle of Mantinea
VI.	Wages of the Ten Thousand
VII.	Marching Distances and Speeds of the Ten Thousand
VIII.	Kings of Persia, of Sparta, and of Macedon

LOSSES IN NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS DURING THE IONIAN WAR, 411-406 B.C.

		COMMANDERS		TIREMES
Engagement		Date	Athenian	Spartan	Engaged		Losses
				Ath.	Sp.	Ath.	Sp.
Cynossema	411	Thrasyllus	Mindarus	76	86	15	21
Abydus	411	Thrasybulus	Mindarus	74	96	0	30
Cyzicus	410	Alcibiades	Mindarus	86	60	0	60
Lesbos	409	Thrasybulus	Hermocrates	20	25	0	5
Notium	407	Antiochus	Lysander	80	90	20	0
Arginussae	406	Promachus	Callicratidas	150	120	25	70

LOSSES, 406 B.C						60	186

Aegospotami	405	Conon	Lysander	180	185	179	0

TOTAL LOSSES						239	186

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FORCES ENGAGED AT THE BATTLE OF MANTINEA, 418 B.C.
Spartan Order of Battle (Thuc. V. 67. 1)

Right Wing

cavalry
Sciritae (600 men)
Brasidians &
Neodamodeis (600 men)

Center

7 Spartan lochoi
(3,884 men)
hippeis (300 men)
Heraeans (500 men)
Maenalii (500 men)

Left Wing

Tegeans (3,000 men)
2+ Spartan lochoi
(over 1,024 men)
cavalry

The numbers for the Arcadian allies in the center and on the left wing are estimates. Thucydides, who probably received his information directly from King Agis, did not obtain numbers for the Spartan cavalry on either flank, but they totaled at least 600. The number of lochoi on the left wing was also deliberately undercounted by Thucydides' Spartan informant, because the two lochoi under Hipponoides and Aristocles were part of the "few Spartans" on the left wing which Agis ordered to relieve the right wing. The known numbers give over 10,000 hoplites (but the number might have been as high as 15,000), 600 cavalry, and an unknown number of peltasts.

Allied Order of Battle (Thuc. V. 67. 2)

Right Wing

Mantineans (3,000 men)
Other Arcadians (500)
Argive elite 1,000

Center

5 lochoi of Argives
(4,000 men)
Cleonaeans &
Orneatae (500)

Left Wing

Athenians (1,000)
Ath. cav. (300 men)
Other cavalry

The allied hoplites numbered at least 10,300 men. Thucydides notes that the Spartan
army appeared the larger, but this could result from the Spartans adopting a lesser depth to flank the allied forces (V. 68. 1). The allies heavily weighted their right flank to compensate for their lack of cavalry. The forces of the lesser allies are estimates, and the numbers of peltasts are unknown.

Thucydides (V. 74. 3) reports 300 Spartan dead, possibly 5% of the Spartans engaged, but they were mostly Sciritai and neodamodeis. Spartan allies suffered few casaulties so that total losses were between 2 and 3.5% (depending on the number of hoplites engaged). Allied losses were nearly four times as great, 1,100 dead or between 7.5 to 10.5% of the total hoplites engaged. The Athenians lost 200 dead (20% of their total), Argives, Orneatae, and Cleonaeans 700 (15.5% of their total), and Mantineans 200 (6.5% of their total).

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Dr. Kenneth W. Harl
Office: History 211 (504)862-8621
Fax: (504) 862-8739
Home: (504)866-5392

Last updated 03/19/98
by Annette Lindblom