The closest we can come to the Spartan army. Is the one in their last major battle.
Scan the net, on the history of Sparta. And keep an eye on the date 222 B.C.E.
Sparta was forced into leagues with the Greek states., or they would be overcome. They had a mix of units from the slinger, archers, and phalanx units, which were the common for the Greek armies.
And few hoplites.
RS2 helps Sparta with a what if factor.
At this time i cant post the history on it,i will later.
But you can see our thread on the Spartan faction, and why we choose these units.
See below history of Sparta last days of power.
In 222 BC, at Sellacia, between Sparta and Tegea, a battle took place. The Spartan army was numbering 10,000 and that of Antigonos and his allies 30,000. At this long and horrid battle, Spartans fought bravely. The whole Spartan army fell, except 200 men. King Kleomenes fled to Egypt.
The following years, a series of revolts started at Sparta, king's ephors were killed or exiled.
In 206 BC, the tyrant Nabis, a descendant of Demaratos, who had fled in Persia in 490 BC, took the throne. An able but ruthless man, he confiscated the properties of the wealthy and gave them to the poor. By setting free slaves, he managed to acquire an army of 10,000 men and he also extended his social reforms to Argos. It was Nabis who foreseeing the incoming dangers fortified Sparta for the first time in her history.
When the Roman commander Flamininus invaded Laconia and laid siege to Sparta, after a few days of fighting a non honorable truce was accepted by Sparta, in which was losing all the Perioikic cities on the coasts and her fleet.
Later with the pretence of helping Sparta, the Aitolians sent a thousand soldiers to kill Nabis and secure Sparta. They managed to kill him but they all were massacred from the Spartans. After Nabis assassination, Sparta was forced by Philopoemen to become a member of the Achaean league. Her walls were razed and the laws of Lykurgos repealed.
RS2 used the fact that Sparta had to join the leage. That is when we used the; "what if " factor.
The Battle of
Sellasia was a war that took place in 222 BC between the armies of
Antigonus III Doson, King of Macedonia and
Cleomenes III, King of Sparta, the Spartan Forces were massacred and Cleomenes fled to Egypt.
Arrived at capacity in 235 BC after the death of
Leonidas II, son of King Cleomenes III undertook an ambitious political restoration of Sparta's power by returning to a legendary political tradition of Lycurgus.
King of Macedonia, Antigonus Doson responded and regained the influence lost from the Peloponnese since almost two decades. In 224 with the Achaeans, Boeotians, Thessalians and the Acarnanians, an alliance. Antigonus drove out the Spartans from
Argos and took
Orchomenos and
Mantineia. In 223, Cleomenes attacked and invaded Megalopolis, thus returning to military practices which had disappeared from Greece since the beginning of the 3rd century BC.
In 222 BC, Ptolemy ceased financial support from Cleomenes.
Forces in presence
Cleomenes had 30,000 infantrymen composing of hoplites, perioikoi and about 650 cavalries. The Spartan phalanx, under the command of Cleomenes was arranged on a hill named Olympus near Sellasia and were supported by a body of light infantry mercenaries. The allied troops of Sparta and the perioikoi phalanx were occupied by the commander Eucleidas on the other hill, Evas at the left wing. The centre were made up of Spartan cavalries, supported by other light infantrymen.
Ancient sources
- <LI style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0cm; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.7cm; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0.7cm">Polybius Histories, ii. 65-70
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Histor...s/Battles.html
Site on Wars in greece.
Sellacia
The Battle.
The sack of Megalopolis came as a big shock for the Achaean League. Cleomenes followed this success up by raiding the territory of Argos, as he knew Antigonus could not resist him due to a lack of men. Cleomenes had also hoped that a raid on Argive territory would make the Argives loss faith in Antigonus because of his failure to protect their land.
[19] Walbank describes this raid as being 'an impressive demonstration, but it had no effect other than to make it even more clear that Cleomenes had to be defeated in a pitched battle.
[20]
Cleomenes had taken up a strong position, placing his army across a road that followed a river running between two hills, Olympus and Eva. His army of 20,000 infantrymen was composed of Spartan
hoplites, possibly Spartan pikemen (according to
Plutarch, Cleomenes had armed 2.000 Lacedaemonians in the Macedonian way),
perioeci, mercenaries and about 650 cavalry. The Spartan phalanx, under the personal command of Cleomenes, made up the right wing of the battle line and was positioned on the hilltop of Olympus near Sellasia. This force was supported by a body of light infantry mercenaries. The allied troops as well as the perioeci phalanx were led by Cleomenes' brother, Eucleidas. These forces made up the left wing of Cleomenes' battle line and were positioned on Evas. The center occupied the valley and road and was made up of Spartan cavalry, supported by mercenaries. Cleomenes probably hoped that the higher tactical position his army enjoyed would compensate for his numerical inferiority. To be sure, he ordered a ditch dug and a palisade raised all along the front line.
Antigonus, for his part, arrived on the scene with a superior force of around 30,000 men, including the allied forces of the
Achaean League. For the first time since the beginning of the 3rd century BC, the Macedonians arrayed against the Spartans a true national army and not one composed of mercenaries. Antigonous alone had with him 10,000 pikemen, 3.000 peltasts and 300 horse from Macedonia as well as 1.000
Agrianes, 1.600
Illyrian, 1.000
Galatians and 3.000 unidentified mercenary foot and 300 horse. The allies provided him with further important contingents, the Achaeans with 3.000 foot and 300 horse, the
Boeotians with 2.000 foot and 200 horse, the
Acarnanians with 1.000 foot and 50 horse, the
Epirotes with 1.000 foot and 50 horse.
Antigonus placed his phalanxes facing the Lacedaemonian infantry which was arrayed at the top of the two hills, with the order to advance and take the heights. His cavalry of Macedonians, Achaeans (led by Philopemene), Boeotians and mercenaries under the command of Alexander, were arrayed in front of the enemy horse in the center. The Macedonian right wing on Eva hill adbanced against the Lacedaemonians but was attacked from the rear by enemy light infantry that was initially arrayed with the cavalry. Assaulted both from the rear and the front, Antigonus' phalanx was hard pressed until Philopemen, disregarding his orders charged with his men and relieved the phalanx forcing the enemy light troops to retreat, thus ensuring victory for the Macedonians. After the battle, Antigonus praised young Philopemene's initiative. According to Plutarch, out of 6.000 Spartans, only 2 survived, the others preferring honorable death to disgrace. Cleomenes fled to Alexandria where he stayed until his death.
Once again your the general of the Spartan army.
Use your skills, or advice from others to build your line.
But most of all , have fun!