08-13-2007, 09:23 PM
Laudes to all for this discussion! Leuctra is a fascinating battle in that it certainly could have gone either way. Give credit to the Thebans for pulling off a significant victory.
The Spartans were beaten, but certainly weren't crushed as Xenophon states in A History of My Times, VI.4.14-VI.4.15:
"Nevertheless, although many had been killed and they had suffered a defeat, once they had crossed the ditch in front of their camp, they halted and grounded arms at the place from which they had started out... And at this point there were some Spartans who could not bear to contemplate what had happened and who said that they ought to prevent the enemy from putting up a trophy and that, instead of recovering the bodies of their dead under a truce, they ought to win them back by fighting."
Sounds like there were still plenty of Spartans with the will to fight and the left of their line never came to grips with the enemy. What would have happened in a second engagement? Running an accurate simulation would be interesting indeed! In the end, cooler - and probably wiser - heads prevailed and the Spartans asked for a truce.
The Spartans were beaten, but certainly weren't crushed as Xenophon states in A History of My Times, VI.4.14-VI.4.15:
"Nevertheless, although many had been killed and they had suffered a defeat, once they had crossed the ditch in front of their camp, they halted and grounded arms at the place from which they had started out... And at this point there were some Spartans who could not bear to contemplate what had happened and who said that they ought to prevent the enemy from putting up a trophy and that, instead of recovering the bodies of their dead under a truce, they ought to win them back by fighting."
Sounds like there were still plenty of Spartans with the will to fight and the left of their line never came to grips with the enemy. What would have happened in a second engagement? Running an accurate simulation would be interesting indeed! In the end, cooler - and probably wiser - heads prevailed and the Spartans asked for a truce.
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Quinton Carr
Quinton Carr
