Analysis of The Military Strategies of The Campaign of Mantinea essays

Analysis of The Military Strategies of The Campaign of Mantinea essays Analysis Of The Military Strategies Of The Campaign Of Mantinea The Peloponnesian War spanned many, many years in which two main factions, the Spartans and the Athenians, were warring for the domination of Greece along with the many surrounding villages; many with their own agendas. I will be doing an analysis of one particular campaign; the campaign of Mantinea fought in the year 362 B.C.E. To do this I first must bring to light some of the key players in this campaign, especially Epaminondas. Epaminondas, a Theban general, was charged with the task to make the Peloponnese as weak as possible so they may overtake it with the least resistance. To do this the Thebans must play both sides of the war. The Thebans were supposedly allied with the Spartans but in those times that mattered little, treaties were broke and regained on a daily basis. Epaminondas had with him all the Boeotians, the Euboeans and many of the Thessalians; and while the Phocians were bound by treaty to assist the Thebans they found no reasoning in the treaty to justify them assisting with a foreign invasion. This was of little concern to Epaminondas seeing as once they were in the Peloponesse they had the help of the Argives, Messenians, the Tegeans, the Megalopolitans, the Aseans, and the Pallantians. (Xenophon. 396-397) Knowing he had the support of many factions, Epaminondas sped away into Peloponnese. He made it as far as Nemea and decided that this was the only way the Athenian army could come to invade Peloponnese. He assumed any loss to the Athenians would ultimately benefit Thebes and rally his allies and discourage those of the Athenians. Unbeknownst to him the forces opposing Thebes were gathering at Mantinea. Epaminondas' choice to use Nemea, as a striking point to wound the Athenians, was well justified but his intelligence was slow. The Athenians had decided instead of marching to Peloponnese they would sail into the gulf of Argolis...