Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

SPARTAN RANK AND COMMAND. 37zation from time to time. But rank and commandwere well settled. In a mora, or regiment of fourhundred, and later of nine hundred men — Thucydidessays five hundred and twelve men —were one i)olemarch, or colonel ; fourlochagoi, or majors ;or captains ;eight pentekosteroi,and sixteen enomotarchoi,or lieutenants. It had fourlochoi, divided intosectionsof twenty-five and fifty men,each under a sort of sergeant.The word lochos, liketaxis,Greek Hoplite.or like our word division,. Back of Hopisoften applied to various ute's helmet.bodies. Each mora hadadded to it a body of one hundred horsemenor less.The kings were the commanders-in-chief. In peace theirpower was limited ; it was unlimited in war. But they werestrictly accountable to the people for their use of the army.If there were two armies, each king commanded one. If butone, the people decided who should command and who remainat the head of the home government. In the field the kinghad a species of staff and body-guard, consisting of one ortwo polemarchs, several of the victors at the public gamesand a number of younger mounted warriors.were accompanied by the ephorsLater the kings(of whom there were five),who acted as a species of council of war. These ephors werecivil officials, whose duty was to watch lest the kings shouldexceed their legal powers.The Spartans knew nothing of strategy. Their tacticswas simple.They moved out to meet the enemy, drew up ina deep, heavy phalanx, and decided the day by one stout blow.