Spartan Mora regiments at Battle of Plataea

[Paralus]

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.

Could be, or it could be that there were whole units of Spartiates alternating with Perioic units- I don't hink you can tell the difference form this quote. It begs the question of how best to from a phalanx from the three elements that were probably available to Lakedaimonians at the time: Spartiates, dis-/uninfranchised Spartans, and Perioci. We may be correct in assuming a quality gradient that follows in that order.

The first thing is that the “unwashed” classes of citizenry that appear in the Cinadon story were unknown in Thucydides’ army (and he seemed to know eough about Sparta) or Herodotus. Bastards will always have been about; foreigners (like Xenophon's sons) likely not at this early stage; and one doesn’t suspect a large amount of “defaulters” based on land aggregation: the sheer number of Spartiates (if the figure is near reliable) militates against it. In any case, it seems that the numbers indicate that these groups likely did not form part of the Spartiate levy at this time: Herodotus describes the Lacedaemonian army as 10,000 hoplites, a figure franked by the 5,000 homoioi and 5,000 perioicoi ordered out to meet them. Nothing would suggest anything other than 5,000 homoioi of the 8,000 available?

As to brigading, the Thebans used the Sacred Band “in the forefront of danger” after their display at Tegyra. This suggests the position where the attack would be made – in the case of Leuktra on the left and as the “spear point” of the column. In Spartan terms – especially in the “classical” years (Nemea River and at Leuktra) that would be the right (or with the king at Mantinea 418). As the “Laconian army” occupied the right wing at Plataea it is a safe bet (safer than the Melbourne Cup) the 5,000 homoioi occupied the right wing. I don’t see weakening the whole by interspersing units of separate periocoi.

Whilst I dismiss figures of 300,000 or more Persian troops, it is likely that the Greeks were outnumbered where they counted it: hoplites. Their hoplite army was outnumbered by the Persian array and the regent Pausanias might well have thought that spreading the cutting edge – three or four deep – made best use of the Greeks’ best troops.

I don’t believe there was a half file leader in the Plataean phalanx. That, though, is an entirely different subject.