Proposals
1. Archidamos in 343 BC
2. Alexander the Molossian in 334-330 BC
3. Kleonymos in 303-302 BC
Author: Duncan Head
Synopsis: Additions are suggested for the various homeland Greek
expeditions made to assist the Italiote city of Taras. They are
presented here as three separate proposals, the first of which also
plugs some gaps as to who can use Spartan and other troops.
There is a case for breaking up this list into several smaller lists,
in which case these proposals might belong in an Italiote Greek list.
Proposal 1 - Add:
Only Tarantine Italiotes in 343 BC:
Spartan allies: List - Later Hoplite Greek.
Amendments to list notes:
Change:
"Only an army with a Phokian C-in-C can include artillery or a
Spartan ally general, and it cannot include Thebans or Thracians. An
army without a Phokian C-in-C and containing Spartan elements must
have a Spartan C-in-C."
to
"Only an army with a Phokian C-in-C can include artillery; only a
Phokian C-in-C in the Sacred War of 355-346 BC, or a Tarantine C-in-C
in 343, can have a Spartan ally general, who must command all Spartan
elements present but may also command mercenaries and (in the
Tarantine case) Italiotes. An army without a Phokian or Tarantine C-
in-C, or of a different date, and containing Spartan elements must
have a Spartan C-in-C. Only a Spartan C-in-C can have a Spartan sub-
general. An army with a Siciliot, Italiot or Phokian C-in-C may not
include Thebans or Thracians."
Add to list notes:
"Taras in Italy hired a succession of homeland Greek commanders to
help against the native Italians: King Archidamos of Sparta in 343,
Alexander the Molossian, king of Epeiros, in 334-0 and the royal
pretender Kleonymos of Sparta in 303-2. Archidamos commanded both
Spartans and mercenaries, so is classed as a Spartan ally; as well as
commanding all Spartans he must command at least half the archers
(depict them as Cretans) used."
Justification:
Diodoros describes how Archidamos sailed to Italy to help Taras
against the Lucanians. On the way he intervened in a local war in
Crete; since this is not on the direct route to Italy, he probably
went there to hire Cretan mercenaries. His force certainly did have
mercenaries, since the surviving mercenaries were shot down with
javelins by the Lucanians after Archidamos' death in battle; but
otherwise, nothing is known of its size or composition.
On the pattern of the Phokians' Spartan ally, it is probably not
necessary to include a specific line for the Spartan allied
contingent, but it does help clarity.
Dating for the Phokians' Spartan allies is added here since it seems
inconsistent to restrict the Spartans for Taras to one year and allow
them for Phokis at any date. Although Spartan troops are only
explicitly mentioned (in Diodoros book 16) under 352 and 346 (in the
latter case under the same King Archidamos who later sailed to
Taras), Sparta is indicated as an ally on other occasions, notably in
355 when Archidamos originally agreed to give secret help to Phokis,
so they have been allowed for the entire period of the Sacred War.
The current wording, while limiting who can have a Spartan ally
general, seems to allow a Phokian C-in-C (and, if this proposal is
adopted, a Tarantine C-in-C in 343) to have a Spartan sub-general (or
even two). This would be cheese of the worst sort , and anyone trying
it under the current list should be publicly pelted with fetid feta;
but it seems worth plugging the loophole.
References:
Diodoros 16.62-63
Paul Cartledge and Antony Spawforth, "Hellenistic and Roman Sparta",
p.14.
Proposal 2 - Add:
Only Tarantine or Thourian Italiotes in 334-330 BC:
Epeirots:
Convert C-in-c to Alexander of Epeiros - as Epeirot cavalry,
Reg Cv (O) or Reg Kn (F) 1
Epeirot sub-general - as Epeirot cavalry, Reg Cv (O) or Reg Kn (F),
or as Epeirot infantry, Reg Pk (O) 0-1
Epeirot cavalry - all Reg Cv (O) or all Reg Kn (F) 1-2
Epeirot infantry - all Irr Ax (O), all Reg Ax (O) or all
Reg Pk (O) 12-32
Lucanian exiles - Reg Cv (O), Reg Ax (O) or Reg Ax (S) 0-1
Apulian Peuketioi allies: List - List - Campanian, Apulian, Lucanian,
or Bruttian (II/8)
Add to list notes:
"Alexander - who was a relative and ally of Philip and Alexander of
Macedon - took complete enough control of Taras and the rest of the
Italiote League to be classed as C-in-c (he still counts as an
Italiote C-in-c for availability of terrain and troops); but he
subsequently fell out with Taras and based himself and his remaining
Italiote allies on the rival city of Thourioi. It is not known
whether had already introduced the pike-phalanx later used by
Pyrrhos, or was using traditional Epeirot tribal irregulars, or
something in between. He enlisted 200 Lucanian deserters, one of whom
treacherously killed him. Epeirot and Lucanian troops may not be
under a non-Epeirot general. If Alexander of Epeiros is used, the
minimum required number of hoplites is reduced to 24."
Justification:
As far as I know, we have no evidence on the size of the army that
Alexander took to Italy. The figures suggested allow for 8,000
Epeirot infantry and 1,000 cavalry (taking both generals as cavalry)
which seems plausible when compared to the army Pyrrhos later took to
Italy from a larger Epeiros (or indeed to the native Macedonian
forces Alexander the Great took to Asia). The expedition probably
also included mercenaries and light troops, who can of course be
taken from troops allowed in the main list.
(Pyrrhos took a maximum of 15,000 Epeirot infantry (not counting the
5,000 Macedonians, the advance force of 3,000 mercenaries, or the
archers and slingers) to Italy. Some of these 15,000 may in fact have
been further allies or mercenaries, such as the Aitolians; there were
also Ambrakiots, included in his kingdom but not Alexander's; and
finally it seems that Alexander's power in Epeiros itself, outside
Molossia, was not as great as Pyrrhos'. Similarly of Pyrrhos' 3,000
cavalry probably no more than 2,000 were actual Epeirots.)
Reduction in the hoplite minimum (by 12 elements, 48AP) is to
balance the fact that this army has to take a minimum of 58AP of
Epeirots (calculation includes the additional cost of a Reg Cv (O) C-
in-c over an Irr Sp (O) C-in-c).
We know nothing of Epeirot cavalry tactics or equipment beyond what
can be deduced from Livy's account of his last battle. Surrounded by
the Lucanians, Alexander broke through their lines leading some
picked men (cum dilectis), and cut down the Lucanian general in close
combat. He was then crossing a flooded river when he was attacked
from behind by the Lucanian exiles serving in his own army. He drew
his sword and urged on his horse but was hit by a javelin. The charge
that breaks through the enemy, hand-to-hand combat with an enemy
general, and even the emphasis on the sword as a weapon (cf.
Plutarch, "Alexander" 32), are more reminiscent of Macedonian-style
Kn tactics than Cv. However this is far from conclusive, as it
represents a desperate attack to break out of encirclement, and might
not reflect tactics in a more typical battle.
Similarly we do not know how the Epeirot infantry were equipped. In
429 BC, Thucydides (2.81) describes them as warlike but undisciplined
tribesmen. Nothing is known after that until the time of Pyrrhos, by
which time they are armed in the Macedonian style. It is a likely
guess that Alexander was responsible for equipping and training them
in this style, but I can find no direct evidence for it.
Livy mentions the 200 Lucanian exiles in Alexander's service. Justin
describes him making peace and alliance - pacem et amicitiam - with
the Apuli after an initial war, and a treaty of alliance - foedus
amicitiamque - with the Poediculi (Peuketioi in Greek), who are an
Iapygian tribe of Apulia.
References:
Livy 8.24
Justin 12.2 - http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/justin/12.html
NGL Hammond, "A History of Greece to 323 BC" (OUP, 3rd ed 1986)
pp .580-1
GN Cross, "Epirus" (Cambridge UP 1932)
Proposal 3 - Add:
Only Tarantine Italiotes in 303-302 BC:
Apulian Messapii allies: List - Campanian, Apulian, Lucanian, or
Bruttian (II/8)
Add to list notes:
"Kleonymos had few or no Spartan troops, only mercenaries, so class
him as a mercenary C-in-C but still count him as an Italiote C-in-C
for availability of terrain and troops. He was allied with the
Messapii of Apulia: a mercenary C-in-C must be used if Messapian
allies are used."
Justification:
Diodoros describes how Kleonymos (who had tried to dispossess his
nephew from one of the Spartan thrones, and would later enlist with
Pyrrhos of Epeiros) hired 5,000 mercenaries at Tainaron in Lakonia,
sailed to Italy, and hired an equal number of mercenaries there. He
enlisted 20,000 Tarantine citizen infantry and 2,000 cavalry - which
suggests that he had authority over the Tarantine citizen army, and
should thus be classed as the C-in-C - and allied with the other
Italiote Greeks, and the native Messapii of Apulia. While he had the
encouragement of the Spartan government, no Spartan troops are
mentioned.
References:
Diodoros 20.104
Paul Cartledge and Antony Spawforth, "Hellenistic and Roman Sparta",
p.30.