14. Crushing the Spartans
The idea – or hope – behind Epaminondas’ formation was that the battle would already be decided by his powerful left smashing its opposition, before his weaker and more vulnerable right got into the fight. The Spartan right, stacked twelve deep, was shattered upon impact with Epaminondas’ left, fifty deep. It lost 1000 men, including 400 of the Spartan elite citizenry, including Sparta’s King Cleombrotus I. Epaminondas’ innovations formed the bedrock of King Philip II of Macedon’s military principles, and those of his son, Alexander the Great. The myth of Spartan invincibility never recovered. Epaminondas went on to invade Sparta and free the Helots, who formed an independent state. Since its society and economy had depended on slave labor, Sparta was forever after reduced to minor player status. Epaminondas died in 362 BC, killed while dealing Sparta another crushing defeat.
