Legionaries V.S Spartans

[Ghostmojo]

Hi fellows,
I was watching a History Channel specail about the battle of Thermopyle and how the spartans were the best fighting force in the world,and i was wondering, who was the better foot solder, the spartan or the legionary? The Spartans and the Roman's never actually faced off as Sparta was basically gone by the time the romans, so this matchup really intrigued me?

We have had this discussion before Daniel. Quite recently in fact. I have searched the pages here to no avail looking for it. Perhaps somebody else remembers where it is?

The Romans and Spartans did meet on a couple of occasions during the War against Nabis. Not quite your typical legionary meeting your peak period hoplite admittedly, but they did have a few encounters. The Roman general involved was Flamininus and the conflict took place around Gytheion and Sparta itself (195-192 BC).

Nabis was a tyrant (claiming descent [possibly true] from Damaratos) who had taken over Sparta with a mixed band of pirates, mercenaries and some citizen troops. It is hard to say what the typical Spartan warrior was like during this very late twilight period in Sparta's history, because there probably wasn't one. By this time I guess they would be more like thureophoroi or similar light/medium troops rather than your traditional hoplite. They may have had phalangites as well for some field battles against the Akhaians.

Even after the Makedonian hegemony over Greece had been ended by the Romans there was still some squabbling going on. Long after Athens, Thebes, Korinth, Epeiros etc. had faded from the pages of Greek military history; as ever, belligerent to the end, the Spartans (and Akhaians) are the last Greeks we hear much of before the Pax Romana in Hellas.

But amazingly, Sparta sensibly sided with the winners during the wars between Pompey, Anthony and Octavian - fielding allied troops at Pharsalos and Phillipi - and became a 'free' city during the Roman Principate period.