Leuctra 371BC

The following is a scenario for the refight of Leuctra using the De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) rules.

Background:

From 378BC Sparta and her allies had been in intermittent conflict with Thebes and Athens. During this time Thebes had re-established the Boeotian League under her own leadership. Following a breakdown of the Persian backed peace conference in 371BC Spartan troops invaded Boeotia.

The Spartan King Cleombrotus, with the Spartan and allied army, encamped on low lying hills on the Leuctra plain. In due course Epaminondas and the Boeotian army arrived and encamped opposite. The battlefield was open and without trees preventing ambushes by either side.

Three accounts of the battle remain, but the only contemporary one, written by Xenophon, does not focus on the tactics of Epaminondas except for the mention of the unusual depth of the Theban formation, some 50 deep. However, with this formation Epaminondas focussed his attack on the Spartan right while refusing his centre and right flank. In the ensuing battle the Theban cavalry drove in the screening Spartan cavalry disrupting the Spartan phalanx. The Theban cavalry then protected the Boeotian left from envelopment. This attack was followed by a the deep Boeotian hoplite phalanx which eventually broke the Spartan right wing. The Spartan left wing, composed of her allies, remained inactive.

Sources for the battle of Leuctra vary considerably for both the total numbers involved in the battle as well as the size of the various contingents. An interesting analysis of the combatants, the size of the armies and the contributions of the various allies can be found in Philip Sabin's analysis of the battle.

The DBA rules provide an indication of a nominal troop representation as they relate to the basic ground scale. Typically this is 1000-1200 men when modelled four figures to a base, 750-900 if three to a base and 500-600 if two to a base. Assuming the total number of Boeotians is in the region of 7000 our basic ratios provide an extremely small Boeotian army. Further they are contrasted to Cleombrotus' Spartan and Allied force numbers 10,000 foot and 1000 cavalry. I have not therefore restricted myself to modelling the number of stands to a set figure ratio. My interpretation of DBA is that it is designed to models the key components of an army only. Something wargamers, with their eye for detail, can often miss. Further, unlike other rules systems that introduce additional grading factors, DBA can be considered to have a sliding troop scale. A stand modelling either a large group of poorer quality troops or a smaller body of higher quality troops. Both retaining the same basic fighting qualities. Based on these concepts we can look at the armies in detail.

Looking at the Boeotians first we can determine several factors. Firstly, there was a numeric superiority of Theban cavalry on Epaminondas' left wing as well as a smaller body on the right wing. This suggests a starting point of three elements of cavalry. However, those on the right provided limited value so can be ignored leaving us with just two stands of cavalry. Assuming the main body of infantry comprises hoplites a typical 12 element army would comprise as few as eight elements of hoplites with each perhaps representing some 750 hopilites. This reduced ratio would allow the light troops on the Theban right to be represented by a further two stands of psiloi. The total becoming 12 stands and a typical DBA hopilite army of our period. For this simulation consider the stands on the Theban left in a very narrow but deep frontage, some 50 deep in fact. I had considered modelling them in a three deep column but this I feel raises other issues. In contrast the remaining Boeotians of the centre and right flank are in much shallower formations perhaps only on 8 deep.

The Spartans, along with their allies, using the same scale and ignoring any cavalry on the Spartan left would need only one formation of cavalry represented by a single stand. As with the Thebans we can represent the Spartan and Allied light troops by two stands of psiloi but divided between the left and right wings. Using the earlier ratio of one stand of hoplites represents 750 men the Spartan hoplite line should be modelled with no less than 12 stands. A significant number. However, Xenophon notes the lack of motivation in the Spartan allies. Therefore, for this scenario I would propose modelling the Spartan Allied hoplite as poorer quality troops. Assuming 2,400 Spartans, or three stands, the less motivated allies could be represented by seven stands where each element represents around some 1000-1200 hoplites. This also models their 12 deep deployment without the need for additional grading of the stands. A number that provides a relatively balanced battle as suggested by Sabin in his analysis of the relative fighting values of the two armies.

The two armies can therefore be summarised below. One element of hoplites in each army includes the respective general element.

Thebans	Spartans & Allies
Cavalry: 2 x 3Cv Hoplites: 8 x 4Sp Light Troops: 2 x 2Ps	Cavalry: 1 x 3Cv Hoplites: 3 x 4Sp (Spartans) 7 x 4Sp (Allied) Light Troops: 2 x 2Ps

The following map, while not to scale, shows the basic deployment of the two opposing armies on a standard 24" square table.

The main hoplite formations should be 600 paces from the table centre while the cavalry of both armies should be 300 paces from the table centre. The Spartan King Cleombrotus should be positioned with one of the three Spartan hoplite stands on the Spartan right wing. The Spartans and Allies should be deployed in a single line.

Epaminondas should be placed with one of the two front hoplite stands on the Theban left. The Theban commander may opt to have larger gaps between some of his hoplite stands to model the oblique order. It is worth noting that while the army was deployed in an extremely deep formation on the left it was thinner elsewhere probably only eight deep.

The Spartans and especially their allies showed a high degree of inactivity during the battle. To model this use the following rules:

For this battle the only those Boeotian hoplite elements deployed two deep initially receive a rear rank bonus for having a second rank of spear. Should the formation be changed this bonus can not be regained. Spartan, or Spartan allied hoplites, never receive support from a rear rank spear unit.

An element of spear providing a +1 for rear support is not destroyed if the stand it is supporting is destroyed. This special rule is an attempt to model the very deep Theban formation on the right.

Sabin Philip, Lost Battle Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World, London: Continuum, 2007.

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