04-15-2008, 01:17 PM
Quote:Most people trust Xenophon's "Lakedemonion Politieia" but it is very late period Spartan Army. The Skiritae are the oldest skirmishers in the Spartan order for battle probalby from the Archai age.
I'd take some serious convincing, given the coalition numbers, that the Skiritai were "skirmishers" at Mantinea. As Thucydides reads, there is no reason not to assume that they were armed as hoplites. In the end these were anchor of the Lakedaemonian left -- facing the Mantinean hoplites -- and to assume that the Spartans would trust that to slingers and javeleniers beggars belief.
Xenephon is not always right. He is, though, always thoroughly Spartan. His text may not always be transmitted correctly either. If his "Lakedemonion Politieia" is to be taken literally, there are four lochoi to a mora.
The very minor emendation to that text, suggested over a century ago, is correct: two lochoi to a mora.
Paralus|Michael Park
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους
Wicked men, you are sinning against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander!
Academia.edu
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους
Wicked men, you are sinning against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander!
Academia.edu
