Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea

[Ghostmojo]

OK - fair enough - apologies PS for some of my approach which should have more clearly stated a hypothesis/es I am inclined towards ...

Ghostmojo/Howard wrote:

Aristophanes (perhaps) incorrectly said there were four lochoi at Plataia (based upon the four villages) ...er, no, not quite...see previous posting. Aristophanes refers to 'four lochoi of women' [presumed to be a reference to Spartan women] - a pun on the word lochos, a military unit, and lochos, a woman in childbed...an anonymous marginal note refers to five lochoi....but Wade-Gery states there would have been five regiments present in 479BC - based upon the alternate five village (komai/obe) version which gave us Edolos, Sinis, Arimas, Ploas and Mesoages named units. This five unit Obal army having replaced an earlier tripartite tribal army based upon the three Dorian sub-groups......er, no evidence as such for this either. Especially as an earlier reference to a sacred law refers to at least six 'Obai'.The best modern texts which try to unravel the confusing and contradictory references to Spartan units are J.F.Lazenby: "The Spartan Army"; Aris and Philips 1985 ISBN 0 85668 142 3 and J.K.Anderson: "Military Theory and Practice in the age of Xenophon" University of California Press 1970 ISBN 520 01564 9

Firstly, excuse my shorthand approach PS to this first point since, whilst being aware of the Aristophanes/Lysistrata aspect of the comments - I was trying to cut to the chase numerically - I should have been more clear in that jump :oops: . Having said that I think we are all agreed upon the four central obai/komoi of Sparta town and the nearby (5km) fifth village. I think also it seems clear that Herodotos' seeming assumption that Sparta might have had deme-based units was arrived upon due to his over-familiarity with Athens' military structure, and he should have possibly been more circumspect in assuming other (especially Dorian) states followed similar lines. As far as I can determine the Spartan military never based its regimental/divisional units upon the obai. The numeric aspect is a curious one and by no means unimportant because the Lakedaimonian attachment to 3,9,27,81 is a recurring one and clearly an alternate system to the decimal one elsewhere (perhaps based upon the Spartan lack of monetary system). Certain religious festivals contained elements with numeric aspects to them and it may derive from the three sub-tribes. The latter as a basis for a tripartitie (much earlier) army division based upon Hylleis, Pamphyloi & Dymanes is neither uniquely my own view nor a new one, and there is a certain amount of circumstantial evidence (albeit very fragmentary like Tyrtaios) suggesting it. I myself think it is likely that the 300 originally derived as 100 from each H,P & D aristocratic families - since the Hippeis were clearly from the higher echelon in society. There were references to the King's bodyguard as being 100 as opposed to 300 and perhaps that dichotomy is resolved on that basis?

I touched upon the six obai/komai issue myself. It was well-believed and we have no reason to doubt it, that there were 6 morai from Lykourgan reformation times (whenever they were). I admit to not having my copy of Lazenby to hand (I don't actually possess the actual volume (I wish it would get reprinted) - just photocopies and copious notes) and therefore cannot reference it immediately. However, since I don't actually subscribe to the (later period) obal-linked units I don't think it matters. The unit names I quoted from Wade-Gery as we know (excepting perhaps 'Mesoages') don't appear to have any obvious connection with the village names anyway. I do think, however, that again it might be the usual mixing up of Lochoi and Morai nomenclature that occurs (frequently), and those 6 units could well have been 3 x 2 structured regiments. At the period we know most about the morai was perhaps divided into 2 lochoi - later apparently 4 lochoi. It is conceivable if by no means proven or established that an earlier tripartite situation might have occured with 3 morai divided into 6 lochoi that might have had some connection with these (sacred law) 6 obai/phylai. The strength and value of the Dorian sub-groups should not be undervalued in my opinion. There have even been commentators (Wade-Gery again) that suggest (in Lakonia at least) there might have been five (later) groups - which led to the five villages and even five ephors (and five agathoergoi). I'm not sure I buy that one and I don't think many do? Pindar mentions the 3 sub-tribes as still persisting after 478[size=85:hcoexllm]BC[/size]. I think there is some mileage in allowing for this triple divisor aspect of things (at least in early archaic times).

Thukydides muddies the water by stating there were seven (without the Skiritai)....one of these 'units' not called a 'Mora', were the two brigaded 'lochoi' of Brasideoi and Neodamodeis - leaving six 'Morai' of Spartans, which agrees with Aristotle and Xenophon

Indeed, and it is also worth commenting that we need to be careful about which period we discuss. Plataia is a different ballgame to later Peloponnesian War scenarios whereby the former had no Brasidieoi or Neodamodeis yet in existence. Some ancient authors also seem to make there analysis based upon their own period when previous periods might have been considerably different. The Spartan army was reorganised several times between Lykourgos and Kleomenes III, as we all know.

Aristotle later chipped in with various quotes as to five lochoi, seven lochoi ....no, seven is an error of a Byzantine lexicographer laterand six morai!!! A certain Photios claimed Aristotle said there were seven lochoi and that Thoukydides spoke of five. Confused? You will be .Photios, a later Byzantine lexicographer, evidently reversed the names - it was Thucydides who referred to seven 'units' (6 Morai plus the Brasideoi/Neodamodeis) and Aristotle who referred to 'five' 'lochoi' at some point - but we don't know the context, so five may not have been Aristotle's total, and Aristotle evidently knew of six 'Morai'....
From all the confusion and errors, it would seem that the Spartan Army, from before the Persian Wars, most likely consisted of six 'Morai'[regiments/Brigades], made up of two 'Lochoi' [battalions]; each consisting of four 'pentekostyes'[companies] made up of four 'enomotia'[platoons] whose number varied depending on the age-classes called up and typically could be 32 or 36 strong, 40 if ALL age-classes were called up (rarely).Thus a full muster would consist of 4x40=160 per pentekostyes, 640 per 'lochos' and a full 'Mora' of 1280 men, and the full Army 7680 possibly plus 300 Hippeis ( if they were a separate unit) although they would seldom be at this strength.....

And are there not references to the Hippeis as actually fighting with/within/part of the first Morai? I must admit to being not to clear about this one. The 300 figure does not accord easily with later morai subdivisions into lochoi, pentekostyes etc. where the numbers are more usually 512, 256, etc. depending upon age call-ups/phalanx depths. I'm curious to how others view this particular anomaly.

However, and I am seriously hypothesising now - perhaps at some earlier (prehistoric) point the units were closer to rounded hundred figures? That would accord with the Hippeis being traditionally 300 and perhaps even the Skiritai being 600? The Hippeis then would be one of the two lochoi forming the first mora? Later when the army was reorganised upon the enomotia etc. age call-up process the numbers would have been more specifically divisible by 4. At this point perhaps the whole army changes except the Hippeis and Skiritai? As I say - a real hypothetical jump there from me - but again not impossible.

If Amompharetos was an Eirene ...or an eirees/priest, as many translations have it...(as Herodotos says he was) and the Eirenes were brigaded separately from the adult citizen troops (as they were)...whoa ! ...What is the evidence for this? Thje evidence suggests that each 'enomotia'/platoon consisted of mixed age-groups and this brigade was subdivided into four lochoi (as it might well have been) then it becomes a bit clearer. The Eirenes were organised along different lines from the main citizen morai. Herodotos also records the names of three other Eirene captains who fell valiantly at Plataia. ....Not quite! Herodotus says[IX.84] "The Lakedaemonians made three graves - one for the priests/'eirees' [Penguin translation - explaining why 'eirenes' is highly unlikely], amongst whom were Posidonius, Amompheratus, Philocyon and Kallikrates; another for the rest of the Spartans; and a third for the Helots. The Tegeans buried all their dead in a common grave; so did the Athenians...." It is tempting to assume he is remarking upon the four lochagoi of the Eirene regiment....not so; amongst whom clearly indicates there were more than four 'eirees/eirenes'...and there is no evidence I know of for an "Eirene Regiment/Brigade"

I said tempting to assume. The Penguin translation (which I also have) suggests the three graves may well have been Spartans, Perioikoi and Helots. I'm not sure I buy a mass grave for all the priests per se - although perhaps on this occasion the Eirenes were brigaded separately and the priests translation is also incorrect? I can't see any other way to explain the Pitanate Lochos assertion by Herodotos. Herodotos does have the distinction of having spoken to Spartans of the time. Thoukydides did not.

In any event that would suggest the battalions of the youth (in 479 at least) might have been named after four of the villages even if the main army morai weren't. Those villages were of course Limnai, Konooura, Mesoa and Pitana. Remote Amyklai also had obal status after 750BC (if not before), and there has also been reference to another - Arkaloi - but this is far less certain. Troops from Amyklai appeared in all morai a hundred years later when the army subdivisions no longer were geographic.Most unlikely - no evidence for this hypothesis, and see previous post regarding 'Obai', of which it is likely there were more than six...

Unlikely but not impossible? Especially if we consider the Spartan Army's Eirenes were barracked closer to the town and not spread along the Hyakinthian Way. As I say I was trying to establish a link between them and Pitana.

In short, I think the whole matter of Amompharetos and the Pitanate Lochos refers to the Eirene brigade, and not the main citizen army, at Plataia...Again what evidence is there for an 'Eirene' regiment? That is not how the Spartan system worked. One very outside possibility does exist however. We know that later, following the advent of peltasts into Greek warfare, one Spartan tactic was to send out the younger 'age classes' from the Phalanx to chase them off. Just possibly (but very unlikely) an 'ad hoc' sub-unit ( i.e. 'lochos') was put together at Plataea of men of the younger age classes/eirenes to act as rearguard, because being young and fit, they would have the best chance of escaping pursuing Persians, and it is this 'ad hoc' unit that is commanded by Amompheratus, and becomes the subject of the legendary anecdote......

Which I suppose is probably what I was getting at when discussing Plataia and Amompharetos' Pitanate unit in particular - as opposed to the army in general (at that time - or indeed any other).

Cheers

HJ