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Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea
#9
Quote:...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 Xenophone

That is one interpretation but the text is, of course, open to a different interpretation. Thucydides actually describes the Sciritae as a separate unit. He also lists – separately – the “soldiers of Brasidas from Thrace, and the Neodamodeis with them”. It is worth remembering that the “soldiers of Brasidas from Thrace” were, originally, 700 hoplites (ignoring the Peloponnesian mercenaries). Adding “the neodamodeis with them” makes for something rather larger than a lochos or mora – unless one supposes decimation of the Brasideans or very severe loss. More likely two units as Paul Mac says. After these separately listed units come “the Lacedaemonians themselves, company (lochos) after company…”, the Maenalians and “on the right wing the Tegeans with a few of the Lacedaemonians at the extremity”. The clear implication is that the Brasideans and neodamodeis are not numbered as “Lacedaemonians themselves”.

There follows the (in?)famous calculation of the Spartan numbers based on the seven lochoi present.

Whatever one makes of the above Agis, as the Mantineans reached “far beyond the Sciritae”, ordered the latter as well as the Brasideans to move left to counter the large overlap. In order to cover the resulting gap Agis orders two polemarchs to take two companies (duo lochos) "taken from the right wing". These lochoi can only have come from the Spartans on the right wing beyond the Tegeans.

So, there were either four lochoi in the centre and two on the right wing or there were seven units of the “Lacedaemonians themselves” in the centre and “a few Lacedaemonians” (= two lochoi) on the right wing.

Nothing like clarity…though it does fit with Thucydides' description of the Spartan army being the larger of the two.
Paralus|Michael Park

Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους

Wicked men, you are sinning against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander!

Academia.edu
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Re: Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea - by Paralus - 10-22-2009, 10:49 AM

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