This detailed new study explores the battle of Leuctra and the tactics
that ultimately led to the complete defeat of Sparta, and freed Greece
from domination by Sparta in a single afternoon.
The battle of Leuctra, fought in early July in 371 BC was one of the
most important battles ever to be fought in the ancient world. Not only
did it see the destruction of the Spartan dominance of Greece, it also
introduced several tactical innovations which are still studied and
emulated to this day. Sparta's hegemony of Greece (which had been in
effect since the Persian wars of 480-79 and especially since the
Peloponnesian War in 431-404 BC) was wiped away in a single day of
destruction. Sparta would never recover from the losses in manpower
which were suffered at Leuctra.
Sparta's defeat created a power vacuum in Greece which several states
attempted to fill (the Theban Hegemony and the resurgence of Athens) and
gave rise to the dominance of Macedon in the 350s when Macedon would
conquer Greece in 338 BC at the battle of Chaeronea. None of this would
have been possible without the events at Leuctra. The Theban phalanx at
Leuctra, with its great depth of 50 ranks, introduced new tactical
thinking in Greek warfare and this thinking eventually led to the
Macedonian phalanx of Philip and Alexander which conquered Greece and
the Persian Empire less than 40 years later. The Theban commander at
Leuctra, Epaminondas, also introduced the idea of drawing up his forces
in echelon and fighting with a refused flank - something Alexander
emulated in all of his major battles and which has been attempted at
countless battles since.
The importance of the battle of Leuctra cannot be underestimated. This
superbly illustrated title gives the reader a detailed understanding of
this epic clash of forces, what led to it, its commanders, sources, and
the consequences it had for future civilizations.
