Hippeis, not Hippies

[hoplite14gr]

"less distinguished men" was my expression and does not mean bad or inefficient.
If the Hippagreatae had considered for example 500 good men, they had to draw a line somewhere for the 300 number to be established and filled.
That left some good men out. Some of the original 300 might not have children yet, or only daugters (even dead babys considering the period's infant mortality rate).
So Lonidas ordered those with living sons and he had good men with whom to substitute the orginal choices.
The anecdote with the Spartan who told his nagging wife to shut up because a "better man" filled his place gives a hind in their attitude
A unit of 300 hoplites was at the immediate disposal of the general in every Greek city. Sparta was no exception. It simply happened that their "logadae" were called Hippeis
probably because in the Geometric period they were composed from the equestrian class.


You re right of 'doryphoroi' ( Xen. Hell. IV.5.8 ) as bodyguards but no number is given so they might well be the two parastatae.

Kind regards