Spartans in Roman army

[Strategos_Timoleon]

I was reading Osprey's Elite 155 "Roman Battle Tactics 109 BC - AD 313" and in page 19 I saw a picture of a gravestone with a caption saying: "Gravestone of Aurelius Alexys, a heavy infantryman of an elite cohort of Spartans, who may have been killed at Nisibis in AS 217." hock:

I had heard nothing about an elite Spartan cohort before! I'm not an expert though.

Here is the picture of the gravestone.

Does anyone have any information about this cohort? When recruited, where fought etc?

[Ross Cowan]

The emperor Caracalla enrolled a cohort from Laconia and Sparta in c. AD 214, for his Parthian war. See Herodian 4.8.3.

See my forthcoming article 'Forgotten Heroes' in Ancient Warfare (6-2008, Rome in Crisis theme) for more on Alexys and the 'Spartan cohort'.

Cheers,

Ross

[Robert Vermaat]

I had heard nothing about an elite Spartan cohort before!

I'm no expert, but I would say the club points to an anti-cavalry role, in which clubmen fought on close quarters with heavy cavalry, knocking them senseless where pointed weapons would fail.

I know nothing of an elite status though.

[Ross Cowan]

I'm no expert, but I would say the club points to an anti-cavalry role, in which clubmen fought on close quarters with heavy cavalry, knocking them senseless where pointed weapons would fail.

Agreed. I think it's possible Alexys & co. were employed against Parthian (or Persian - the gravestone actually refers to his death in a Persian War) heavy cavalry in the same way as later Roman clubmen fought cataphracts and clibanarii at Emesa or Singara.

R

[Strategos_Timoleon]

Thanks for the answers.

See my forthcoming article 'Forgotten Heroes' in Ancient Warfare (6-2008, Rome in Crisis theme) for more on Alexys and the 'Spartan cohort'.

I'm really looking forward for it!

[PMBardunias]

I'm no expert, but I would say the club points to an anti-cavalry role, in which clubmen fought on close quarters with heavy cavalry, knocking them senseless where pointed weapons would fail.

I doubt that there was a seriously "elite" anything coming out of the Sparta of 3rd C A.D. If I recall Caracalla also raised a "macedonian" phalanx. To me these, surely the Spartans, were for show and symbolism more than effect. Caracalla becomes both Alexander and Leonidas by leading them. The Spartan clubs most likely had no specific tactical function, but were to link them to the tradition of being descendants of Heracles.

[Ioannes Vandalicus]

perhaps you have taken note that there is short info and beautiful reconstruction by Angus McBride about this spartan in Osprey - Warrior 72: Imperial Roman Legionary AD 161-284 :wink:

[Robert Vermaat]

Osprey - Warrior 72: Imperial Roman Legionary AD 161-284 :wink:

Which is written by our own Ross Cowan :wink: :wink:

[Ioannes Vandalicus]

I was sure that I have heard this name before )

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

And of course they were an Elite unit....they were Spartans, after all! :wink:

[Ross Cowan]

Elite as in specially raised by the emperor and clearly favoured by him. The club may have been symbolic, but it remains possible that it was a clava intended for use against cataphract cavalry. Compare Zosimus 1.52-53 on the battle of Emesa (AD 272), where Palestinian clubmen are very effective against the heavily armoured Palmyrene cavalry.

Another inscription from Sparta has been restored to suggest that the lochos/cohort was 500-strong and made up of more well-to-do citizens who fought as heavy infantry (Herodian describes it as a phalanx).

But it has also been suggested that Alexys was of lower social status and fought with another Spartan contingent of light infantry. Clubmen necessarily fought in open order so they could nimbly side-step advancing horses and strike riders as they passed, cf. Libanius, Orations 59.110, on the battle of Singara, c. AD 343. Constantine also employed soldiers armed with clubs reinforced with iron knobs to combat Maxentius' clibanarii at the battle of Turin in AD 312. It would not be surprising to find that Caracalla, who clearly had an interest in specialist fighters (e.g. his problematical Macedonian phalanx, lanciarii and possibly phalangarii and archers in legio II Parthica), had this new unit (or units) equipped and trained to counter Parthian heavy cavalry.

There are several more inscriptions from Sparta recording temporary units that fought in 'Persian' wars. At least two date to the Parthian war of Lucius Verus. One may refer to the awarding of dona militaria, indicating a fighting role. True, any Spartan unit would have great symbolism in an Eastern war, but there is no reason that it would be purely symbolic and detached from the fighting.

Earlier in the second century AD, Hadrian created the first Spartan senator, who went on to command a legion. It has been suggested that this was a move to rehabilitate the military tradition of the city. Note also that Spartan contingents fought for Pompey at Pharsalus, and for Octavian at Actium, where the warship of Eurycles attempted to capture Antony's flagship.

Cheers,

R

[PMBardunias]

True, any Spartan unit would have great symbolism in an Eastern war, but there is no reason that it would be purely symbolic and detached from the fighting.

I didn't mean to imply that they did not fight, only that they were not chosen because they were especially good at fighting (The other sense of elite). There is nothing special about military prowess of 3rd century spartans. Then again, perhaps the upper class men could be expected to show some elan for this particular campaigne. I think of the spoiled upperclass members of the Rough riders in the Spanish American war.

Earlier in the second century AD, Hadrian created the first Spartan senator, who went on to command a legion. It has been suggested that this was a move to rehabilitate the military tradition of the city.

The Euryclid family seems to have done well under a succession of early emporers. C. Iulius Eurycles Herklanus is the senator you speak of I think. Prior to him C. I. Spartiaticus and Laco were procurators of Nero and Claudius respectively. I am very interested in a reference for a rehabilitation of the Spartan military tradition at this time if you have one.

Note also that Spartan contingents fought for Pompey at Pharsalus, and for Octavian at Actium, where the warship of Eurycles attempted to capture Antony's flagship.

Just to show how far Eurycles was from Leonidas, if I remember correctly he let Antony's ship escape if favor of capturing Cleo and Anthony's treasure ship!

[Celtic505]

By the time of Caracalla, were the Spartans still employing the traditional methods of training their youths for combat? Did this practice still continue or did it eventually die down?

[PMBardunias]

By the time of Caracalla, were the Spartans still employing the traditional methods of training their youths for combat? Did this practice still continue or did it eventually die down?

The short answer is no, they weren't. The Agoge first dies in the early 3rd c BC, then revives in some form a couple of times, but never becomes what it was. The Syssitia system, men's group messes, continue, and much of a man's intellectual military training surely occured there.

Sparta had become a bit of a tourist trap, a Disney world of old military glory where for example, the contest of the boys and the cheese had become more about bloodletting for tourists than running a gauntlet for sport.

[Ross Cowan]

Hi Paul,

Re. command of legion, yes, I was thinking of C. Iulius Eurycles Herculanus:

http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zp ... 116209.pdf

Re. Eurycles at Actium - a pirate like his father!

Cheers,

R