spartan army at Mantinea 418 BC

[Paullus Scipio]

Paralus wrote:

The only debate is whether they were formed into their own enomotia – as Paullus argues – or were formed up with the homoioi in some fashion.

...I think a misunderstanding has arisen here......I was not suggesting that the Homioi and Perioikoi were formed into separate enomotia at all, merely that I agreed with Toynbee and others that it is more likely that an enomotia from each unit was chosen by lot to form the garrison, rather than individual soldiers being chosen by lot.I believe the evidence of the captured numbers to be very strong evidence indeed that the Homioi and Perioikoi were already integrated within the enomotia by the time of Sphacteria (425 BC)
I also have a suspicion that it is far too easy to blame the earthquake for the decline in Homioi numbers, when the truth may well be, as in so many cases, far more complex. I also suspect the decline will have been exaggerated somewhat, but the subject of"Spartan Manpower" is perhaps better left to another thread