Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea

[Paralus]

And your actual Spartans (citizens of various grades of the city itself) break down into Spartiates, Hypomeiones, Mothakes and then there are the Trophimoi Xenoi. These distinctions might not be made by ancient sources in battlefield context but they did count in Sparta's very stratified society. The Lakedaimonians as an army would have included the new citizens - because, despite being a low grade, the Neodamodeis were enfranchised free Lakonians - although of course that citizenship did not mean involvement in Spartan affairs of state whatsoever - it was a freedom to be exercised elsewhere, later.

It's a pity the attestations for the stratification of Spartan society are so scant. Much relies of Xenophon's story of Cinadon.

The neodamodeis, when the term comes into use, are always a separate entity to the “Spartans” when it comes to enumerating forces. It appears they held no rights and were simply “freed” helots: helots who were no longer helots! The perioici also were not “enfranchised” in that they too held no rights when came to the machinery of state. The neodamodeis will likely have held less. The other “citizen” groups (Hypomeiones, Mothakes …) likely were brigaded amongst the “Spartan” mora as Paul Mac has observed.

Herodotus and Thucydides did not know of those later subgroups. Whether that was due to Spartan secrecy or the fact that they were not utilised as a resource until later in the fifth century is anyone’s guess.

The point above, though, is that Herodotus clearly indicates that 5,000 Spartiates made up half of the “Lacedaemonians” or the “Laconian army” at Plataea. If the Spartiates stood the Tegeans to their immediate left were the perioici (and other subgroups – if in existence) on the far right? It might be more likely they formed the rear half of the “Lacedaemonian” phalanx.