Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea

[Paralus]

If Herodotus and Thucydides did not feel it necessary to explain the internal make-up of Athens or other state's armies by 'class', why should they have done so in Sparta's case ? ( even if they knew, unlikely in any event)

Thucydides knew - don't worry. He - like other ancient authors - wasted few words over Athens' thetes and "lower classes". That his knowledge of Sparta was more than reasonable is shown by his treatment of the city in his history.Your dismissal of him [and Herodotus] "even if he [they] knew, unlikely in any event" ignores the wealth of information that resides in Thucydides' history about Sparta. His use of many Spartan patronymics, as one example, indicates that his knowledge might have been "more likely in most events" than you'd allow.

I do not see that the later "subclasses" made up the Plataean army; this is Sparta in her pomp and those will have been, at his time, largely - if not totally - unnecessary.

There is much preceding that I'd likely take issue with but - I've written it all before and repetition is boring.

In fact, I still await the enumerating of the periocoic forces that were at Mantinea (418) and, more so, Leuktra. It seems the "Spartans" fought both battles without their assistance.