Spartan hype?

[Paullus Scipio]

Or perhaps simply a Mall Rat. No need to get so fiesty.

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I wasn't - that was a joke - note the LOL. My previous remarks were because your lack of a hypothesis led me to suspect you were 'egging me on'/'winding me up'/'pulling my leg'. My apologies for my paranoia!

J.K. Anderson wrote a paper on Xenophon's Rep.Lac. 1.11.10. He describes the enomotia of 36 being drawn up in 3's 12 deep, or alternately in 6's 6 deep. It is clear that these are Alternate battle formations and not formed loose and close respectively.

Not sure what you are referring to here ? Do you mean Xenophon xi.4 "These regiments at the word of command form sections (enomotia)[ in single file] sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes six abreast." ??
If so, this tells us nothing about 'close' or 'open' order, since it clearly refers to moving in a column of varying widths, and nothing to do with Battle formation.

I don't believe that they had to be formed loose in order to conduct a Laconian countermarch. They turn right, then the man at the end steps forward and all the rest move out in fromt of him in order until the filelleader is at the fron of the file facing the new direction. This was not a "U" turn in which the file doubled

Sorry ? I am having trouble understanding what you are trying to say here, it sounds as if you are describing is a movement 90 degrees to the flank. All counter- marches (as opposed to 'about turn/face') involve marching to the rear, which is physically impossible in close order ( as anyone who has performed drill can tell you), especially if the troops are carrying aspis !Each man would have to barge through the ranks behind him ! It is only physically possible in open order!!

This is what the Thebans did at Coronea. Goldsworthy specifically states that 100-200 yards was a common distance that the charge was initiated. Do you have this paper? even though I chopped it apart, it is a good paper for details.

Ah, Coronea ! I'm glad you mentioned that since it is a good example of a Hoplite battle and proves a number of my points. Xenophon's account is worth looking at in full,the notes in black are mine:-
15] Those who were now drawn up against Agesilaus were the Boeotians, Athenians, Argives, Corinthians, Aenianians, Euboeans, and both7 the Locrian peoples; while with Agesilaus was a regiment of Lacedaemonians which had crossed over from Corinth, half8 of the regiment from Orchomenus, furthermore the emancipated Helots from Lacedaemon who had made the expedition with him, besides these the foreign contingent which Herippidas commanded( the balance of the “Ten Thousand), and, furthermore, the troops from the Greek cities in Asia and from all those cities in Europe which he had brought over as he passed through them; and from the immediate neighbourhood there came to him hoplites of the Orchomenians and Phocians. As for peltasts, those with Agesilaus were far more numerous; on the other hand, the horsemen of either side were about equal in number. [16] This, then, was the force on both sides; and I will also describe the battle, and how it proved to be like no other of the battles of our time. They met on the plain of Coronea, those with Agesilaus coming from the Cephisus, and those with the Thebans from Mount Helicon. And Agesilaus occupied the right wing of the army under his command, while the Orchomenians were at the extreme end of his left wing. On the other side, the Thebans themselves were on the right and the Argives occupied their left wing.
[17] Now as the opposing armies were coming together, there was deep silence for a time in both lines; but when they were distant from one another about a stadium(or stade, about two hundred yards – to charge from this distance was unusual, which is why Xenophon makes a point of it, and indicates that perhaps the Theban side were nervous and anxious), the Thebans raised the war-cry and rushed to close quarters on the run. When, however, the distance between the armies was still about three plethra,( about 100yards – a typical distance, as I referred to in a previous post) the troops whom Herippidas commanded,(the very experienced “Ten Thousandâ€