Spartan hoplite - Dead Persian

[Ghostmojo]

Thank you Ghostmojo for the precisions.
And it seems logical that the spartan units were more uniform. But maybe some officers, or chief, would have a different stuff or equipment (that's just a simple assumption).

I believe that, like other Greek cities during the Archaic times or the Classical times, Spartans were certainly not completly uniform on the battlefield. But that's seem interesting, and the academic opinion you suggest is likely and understandable, except that i think some exceptions would have existed at this time.

Well yes indeed.

And I would hazard a guess that the King or Kings (pre-Kleomenes I/Damaratos' spat) would have been quite distinctive. They were after all wealthy, aristocratic and had very special status within Spartan society. But I still would expect that they followed the Lakedaimonian custom regarding uniformity of colours. According to Xenophon, Lykourgos had ordered that the Spartans wear a crimson robe and later sources expanded upon this to mean a tunic as well/instead. These reforms/guides/codes (accepting that Lykourgos was probably mythical) would have been mid archaic period - well before the Persian Wars (perhaps as much as a century or so).

Perhaps an analogy might help? Think of any of the leading protagonists during the Napoleonic Wars for example. The officers also wore the same coloured uniforms as their troops, however, they were made of much better quality material; had braid; nicer buttons; more decoration; smarter hats or helmets etc.

Spartan officers (at least senior-ranking ones) like Polemarkhoi; Lochagoi; perhaps even Pentekosteres may well have worn transverse crests - and I guess by extension this would apply to the King or Regent leading the force (if one was present). They would have worn more decorative clothing; better engineered cuirasses; more interesting helmets and so on. But I still reckon they would have kept to the tunic/cloak colour code - and why not?