25. The Theban General Who Shattered Sparta
Epaminondas’ first innovation was to depart from the norm of a formation with lines of a uniform depth – usually 8 to 12 men deep in Greek hoplite warfare back then. Instead, the Theban general stacked the left side of his line 50 deep, by thinning the rest of his formation. That is, he concentrated force at the decisive point. His second innovation was to not follow the usual script and advance in line abreast, in which the entire formation hits the opposite formation simultaneously. Instead, Epaminondas echeloned his army so that his powerful left was the first to reach the enemy, and his weak right was the last.
The Spartan right, stacked twelve deep, shattered when it was struck by Epaminondas’ left, fifty deep. It lost 1000 men, including 400 of the Spartan elite citizenry, and the Spartan King Cleombrotus I. The myth of Spartan invincibility never recovered. Epaminondas went on to invade Sparta, freed its Helots, and formed them into an independent state. Since its society and economy had depended on the slave labor of the Helots, Sparta was forever reduced to minor player status. Thebes’ great general died in 362 BC, killed in battle as he dealt Sparta yet another disastrous defeat. His innovations outlived him, and formed the bedrock of King Phillip II of Macedon’s military principles, and those of his son, Alexander the Great.
