Battle of Mantinée (418 av. J. - C.)

Ancient sources

In the text entitled Dispositon of the troops to the battle of Mantinée , extracted book 5 of the History of the Peloponnesian War , Thucydide describes the provision of the troops right before the confrontation between the two armies.

Problems resulting from study from this text is to include/understand which are the involved forces, which alliances bind the various cities and if these bonds direct their position towards the battle field, to clearly define the organization of the various armies according to the city from which they result, to include/understand the strategies and tactics used by the strategists of different for this battle.

Context

The Peloponnesian War, started in 431, opposes Sparte and its Ligue of the Peloponnese, with Argos, Athens, Mantinée and Élée. This battle intervenes after the rupture of the Paix of Nicias concluded in 421, whereas the two powers are weakened considerably by their conflicts.

The Athenian quoted follows a policy imperialist and extended his influence in the Peloponnese stronghold of its rival Sparte, in particular on Argos, in order to fix Sparte in the peninsula and to release the northern part of the Égée of any threat. In 419, the three cities péloponnésiennes Argos, Mantinée and Élée concluded a defensive alliance with Athens creating a stopping with all the movements lacédémonien towards the Attique. Argos obtains meanwhile a democratic government and seeks to extend its influence. In 418, the army argienne takes Orchomène, in Arcadie, and threatens Tégée, allied of Sparte.

The battle

Towards the end of August 418, the Lacédémoniens join together their army placed under the command of the young person king Agis II, the other king Pleistoanax being regarded as failing, and goes towards Mantinée.

Athens and Sparte were related one to the other by a defensive alliance, but alliances that each one of them could signed makes null and void their alliance. Indeed, here, Argos, allied of Athens, threatens a city under protection of Sparte, Tégée. Sparte thus launches a campaign against the city argienne, which thus implies the Athenians come honoured their alliance with the cities with Argos, of Mantinée and Élée.

Involved forces

The army lacédémonienne

The cutting of the army lacédémonienne

According to the studies of J.F. Lazenby, the army lacédémonienne is cut out into 6 Mora I from approximately 1 280 men (maximum figure), the Polémarque directs one will mora, each will mora is made up of 2 lochoi of 640 men (under the authority of a lochage), the lochos is divided into 8 pentekostyes, (1/50e army represents) the pentekostys is directed by the pentécontère which has under its orders 32 units of forty men. These units are called énomoties structured by executives, the énomotarques . In each will mora, there are a lochos of Sparte, and a lochos of Périèques, the latter resulting from the autonomous cities but nonsovereign being placed under the control of Sparte.

The city of Sparte counts 5 lochoi: Edolos, Sinis, Sarinas, Ploas and Mesoates (and Pitana). The Skirites says Skiritai are a lochos resulting from a district close to Sparte populated by the périèques ones, they are placed here on the left wing, one can wonder about “the exclusive privilege of this station” since the left wing is that which meets the right wing of the opposing army, which is the offensive wing composed of the best elements. Moreover, the former companions of Brasidas returned from Thrace and form a unit with the army Spartan. The Thraces have with them neodamodes which are freed hilotes.

The Béotie NS form the two wings of cavalries, the Hippeis are directed by a Hipparque and each unit counts approximately 300 riders. It seems that at the time of the battle, of the hamippoi were present at the sides of the riders. The hamippoi are Fantassin S slightly armed assembled in croup on the horse with a rider and while going down to go to the combat in complement of the rider. But it seems that their role is limited to the load.

By calculation various, one arrives at an army Spartan of approximately 9 000 Hoplite S.

The role of the chief

To Lacédémoniens, the company is directed by two kings. The prerogatives of these kings are especially nun and soldier. The military capacity ( hêgemôn ) of the king is given only once out of the city. The king is then invested of his role of Général. In various sources, the general takes the head of forwarding, and it takes share with the battle while being with the face. But the temerity of the generals makes debate and as of Xénophon one notes the wish of the Greek thinkers that the chief is careful and avoids exposing himself to death. Because the death of the chief could be conceived like a defeat.

Agis II is named general for forwarding against the armed argienne but its youth and its vexations in Argolide, where it was folded up by giving up his Corinthian allies and Béotie NS, worry Lycurge which associates to him ten advisers ( Xymbouloi ) to help it in his countryside in addition to both éphores charged to supervise it. The crucial role of the chief is to organize the troops before the battle. Moreover, the chief must show himself with his troops, which is easy at the time of the small battles but becomes more complicated when one reaches the manpower raised as in Mantinée. The role of the chief before the battle lies in its capacity to galvanize its troops by an ignited speech which develops the values of the city. Even if in the text of Thucydide the word of the king seems undeniable, the course of the battle shows that the Polémarque S and the xymbouloi will not hesitate to dispute the choices from Acted II.

The army argienne and its allies

Argos is bound by a defensive treaty of alliance with several cities: Athens, Élée, Mantinée, Cléones and Ornés.

Athenians

For the Athenian , the army is directed by 10 Stratège S elected for one year, although under Périclès the system undergoes transgressions which lead to a specialization of the Athenian generals. The strategists come from the various Athenian tribes elected officials among the class higher of the pentacosiomédines. For the battle of Mantinée, the city sent 1000 Hoplite S and a riding unit of 300 . The purpose of the cavalry is to defend the hoplites at the time of their retirement. The defection of the city of Élée, will push Athens to send a late reinforcement of 1000 hoplites additional.

The city of Élée

Although signatory of an alliance, Élée refuses to send his 3000 hoplites to the battle. What arranges Agis II which reference 600 hoplites to guarantee the safety of Sparte. But Élée decides right before the first day of the battle to send its 3000 men to the help of Argiens.

Argiens and other cities

On the whole, Argos align 7000 hoplites. We know little thing about the way in which or its units structured are cut out. Argos has a crack corps of 1000 hoplites called the thousand.

The difficulty for the coalition argienne is to compose with various cities which rather carry out in this battle their own combat than an overall battle. Each city functioning on its own traditions and playing its reputation, the transmission of order is made difficult and the development of a strategy is not facilitated by it, as the defection testifies some to the city of Élée.

Strategies of the two camps

The studied extract thus evokes the provision of the troops at the time of the second day. Because actually, the lacédémoniens had met the day preceding the argiens and had almost returned in contact for finally turning back. It is thus advisable to include/understand the choices made by the various armies which led to the provision such as it is described to us in this passage.

The strategy lacédémonienne

Agis II joined together for this battle all manpower available. Initially, Lacédémoniens are anxious because they are lower of number of hoplites compared to the allies. However the defection of the city of Élée reverses the power struggle. Acted the ready base camp of the sanctuary of Héraclès installs, i.e. in the south of the battle field in the plain of Mantinée. It becomes aware that the city of Élée will reconsider its position, it presses the movement and advances towards Argiens. Those are installed in strong position on a difficult rough ground of access for the troops Spartans. Acted advances the phalange with a range of Javelot of the unfavourable phalange. Xymbouloi arrives in-extremis convincing Agis that it runs to its loss if it launches the attack. The phalange is folded up.

Not being able to ransack the cultures which were already collected, Agis seeks a means of dislodging Argiens. The advisers lacédémoniens propose in Agis to return to the South towards Tégée, to divert the course of a river to flood the plain of Mantinée in order to dislodge Mantinéens and their allies of their impregnable station. Made thing, Argiens adopt their position of combat. Acted and his go up them in north, for in découdre with their adversaries. Surprised by the offensive position chosen by the coalition, Agis is constrained to lay out its troops in defensive position.

Extremely of its 9000 Hoplite S and 600 riding, Agis lays out the latter on the right wings and left. On the point of force, i.e. the right wing it puts 1000 hoplites Spartans and tégéates, then follow Ménaliens, 2000 hoplites Spartans and Arcadiens d' Héraia. On the left wing pérèques the skirites and the freed hilotes are thus placed. Each énomotie is made up of 4 hoplites in face and 8 lines of depths. The 9000 hoplites are spread out over 1100 meters length.

The strategy argienne

The advantage of the coalition argienne is the control of the ground. Acted appointment gave to these various armies in the plain of Mantinée, precipitated by the possible return of the hoplites of Élée and the Athenian reinforcements. The army argienne lines up in battle order and thus settles on a difficult strong point of access for the opposing army, the ground being broken and favorable to the disorganization of the phalange lacédémonienne which it first day advanced with range of javelin of Argiens before making half-turn. The strategists refuse to launch the army to the continuation of the runaways. The tensions are felt in the rows, the ones reproaching the others for not having seized the occasion of the rout lacédémonienne to cut down them, creating a climate of suspicion between the generals thinking that the made choice was not strategic but well a favor granted to the Spartans.

To cross short to the rumors, the army is set in motion and Argiens lays out the army in offensive position without awaiting the reinforcements. Having only one unit of cavalry, those are laid out on the left at the sides of the Athenian phalange composed of 1000 hoplites, then in the center the hoplites of Cléonais and of Decorated then hoplites argiens at the sides from the “thousand” and finally on the right wing Mantinéens (given because they defend their grounds). The thousand argiens result from the aristocratic classes. The supposed choice makes by the strategists was that the right wing overflows the unfavourable left wing then comes to take with reverse the center lacédémonien.

Generally, the armies placed on the right wing the best elements but it is noted that here it is the center which is reinforced (2000 hoplites Spartans vis-a-vis the thousand argiens). The Cavalerie seems to have played a secondary part at the time of this battle even if the number of light riders does not cease growing during fifth century BC; the Spartans start to create a cavalry as of 424 and the Athenians had in 438, i.e. before the 1000 rider, Peloponnesian War.

End of the battle

Logically the two left wings are overflowed by the enemy right wings. Agis orders then with the Skirites and the Thraces to widen the face. He then asked both others lochoi according to filling the fault between the lochoi thrace and Spartan will mora it. What refused both polémarques Aristoclès and Hipponoïdas (authority of the king does not appear already so any more strong). Argiens then put Thraces and Skirites in rout, and continued them instead of taking with reverses Lacédémoniens. The center argien is put also diverts some to him what destabilizes the face and makes it possible to the Spartans to take with reverses Argiens to come to assistance of Skirites. The Athenians escaped then covered by their riders. Mantinéens are decimated and the 1000 are saved.

The unit of the command lacédémonien though failing at the time of the refusal of the two polémarques ones (although this event was beneficial for the continuation of the battle) took the top on the heterogeneity of the troops of the coalition argienne. The weak motivation of the Athenians and “the individualism” of each city make that there is, like it says Jean Pierre Vernant, “of the engagements in the combat” that each quota carries out its own action and that Lacédémoniens could take the top. Acted by its lack of experience failed to cause the rout of its army while acting in precipitation the first day, then by opening a breach at the time of the battle.

Consequences

After a baited fight, they are the Spartans who gained the victory, which allowed them to find their influence on the Peloponnese by the inversion of alliances due to the victory.

Thucydide considers this battle as one of most important than could deliver the Greek . Indeed, starting from Mantinée, the number of mobilized men will not cease growing. But the characteristic of the battle of 418 lies in the quasi-exclusive use of the hoplites, and the respect of the traditions, the thousand argiens could have been massacred or made captive but Argis released them at once because the battle was finished and those were encircled by the army lacédémone. The battles which will follow will be certe more imposing but will be accompanied by the development of Fantassin S more slightly armed, the Peltaste S, already present in certain Athenian rows, in order to insert in the army the poorest classes. Argiens overcome had to be subjected to the installation of an oligarchical mode in their city.

For Athens it is a failure of its policy hegemonist who concretizes by his collapse in 411 after the disaster of the Expédition of Sicily.

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