Strategy and Tactics: How to Conduct a Battle

[pike master]

sorry but there was more involved to the battle of leuctra than what is described in the above diagram. also if they fought exactly as you show then the thebans would have been wrapped by the opposing spartan elite.

the composition of the entire spartan army is somewhat in question as it is known that the spartan elite never number more than 5000 at its highest number.but at leuctra the spartan army numbered 11,000 with a weak cavalry contingent. so we must assume that the right contained the elite units while further left you went you would have encountered the helot and slave hoplites.

now the thebans numbered only 6,000 but they had superior cavalry a factor i will describe later. also included was the 300 strong sacred band [a tactically flexible force that could move rapidly much like the foot companions of alexander]

now the spartan elite positioned on the right were the finest hoplites in all of greece and they were opposed by the more numerous elite hoplites of the thebans, however the theban hoplites by themselves even in a deeper phalanx were no match for the spartans. there deeper formation would by time against the spartans.the sacred band were positioned to the left of the theban hoplite column while the thinner hoplite formations were postioned to the right facing the weaker helot hoplites of the spartan center and left.

the battle opens up and the thebans advance in oblique order as stated above. firstly a cav melee ensues on the theban right in which the spartans are bested and their horse driven from the field. the strongest hoplite formations clash and are deadlocked in battle.

now the sacred band rushes up the left side of the theban hoplite column and hooks the spartan hoplites in flank and sometime close to this the theban cavalry slams into the rear of the elite spartan formation causing the breakdown of the spartan phalanx. which is said to have routed.

now the weaker spartan formations observing the destruction of their elite spartan hoplites paniced and were more easily routed from the field.

by itself i would tend to believe the deeper theban column was only used to hold from breaking against the spartans and buy time for the sacred band and theban cavalry to hit the spartans in flank and rear.