The Man Who Crushed The Spartans And Changed History
Epaminondas beat the Mike Tyson of his day with innovation and technique
The Spartans Were The Mike Tyson Of Their Day - Created By Author In Starryai
I remember as a kid boxing was a big deal. At the time, it was much bigger than it is now, but the sport itself wasn’t the draw. The champion was. “Iron” Mike Tyson ruled the sport in a way which was indescribable.
He defeated people so fast; you wouldn’t bet who’d win or lose the fight, but what thirty second block of the match Tyson would knock out the opponent.
He not only defeated an opponent in the ring, but before they even stepped in it. People were terrified of him. I have a vague recollection of the wife of a challenger hysterically crying because she thought Tyson might actually kill her husband.
This terror infected everyone who faced him. Well, until one night. An incredible underdog named James Douglas managed to hold himself together and knock out the unbeatable Tyson. Suddenly that shield of invincibility cracked. People realized he was just a man.
Thousands of years ago Greece had their own Mike Tyson. It was a city state called Sparta. They were known to have the ultimate army in the land, and even to stand in the field against them was considered suicide.
But one day, they met their own Douglas. His name happened to be Epaminondas.
You may have never heard of him, but he’s worthy of study.
Cicero once called him “the first man of Greece” and the modern philosopher Michel de Montaigne referred to him as one of the greatest people to have ever lived. He also has a lesson to teach us in our modern day.
Conquering The Fear Of Stepping Into The Ring
“If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it…”
In the early fourth century BC, Sparta had taken the prominent spot in Greece, after crushing Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Soon after, they turned their eyes to former powerful allies that could challenge them. Thebes took the brunt of this.
They were the head of the Boeotian Confederacy. This loose group of city states could wield together a decent army and had proven itself competent in battles against the Athenians. Unfortunately, now they were a possible challenger to Sparta.
Mark Cartwright at the World History Encyclopedia explains Sparta attempted a “peace negotiation” where they demanded the Boeotian Confederacy disband. Sparta used this as a pretense to war. They knew Thebes and its allies would never accept the terms and had a powerful army ready to march.
As soon as the “no” was uttered, an army of 10,000 Spartan led Hoplites started moving. Thebes and their allies could only field 7,000 in reply. Not only were they outnumbered, but they were facing the awe and terror of the Spartan war machine.
This army decimated others in phalanx-style battles for hundreds of years. They were experts at it. Plus, they were renowned professional killers, knocking out their opponents in thirty second blocks.
Cartwright notes some of the Theban commanders wanted to hide behind the walls of their city and make the Spartans siege it. Facing them head-on in the field was suicide. But their commander Epaminondas talked them into heading to the battlefield of Leuctra.
He knew his fellow commanders were right. Fighting Sparta in the traditional way was suicide, so he’d do something the Greek world had never seen.
Conquering Fear Through Innovation
Traditional Phalanx warfare had been the same through generations. Men packed in tight formations, about eight to twelve shields (soldiers) deep. They carried their spear in their right hand, and hoplite shield in their left.
Possibly by design, the round shield didn’t cover their entire body. So, soldiers instinctively leaned right to protect their uncovered area behind their neighbor’s shield. It kept the formation together, but the group tended to move right as it lurched forward.
Greeks counteracted this by putting their best troops on the right side. So, it became a position of honor as well. Weaker troops were moved to the left. So, phalanx battles often were a race of who’s right side would blast through the other left, then turn to attack the engaged side.
Epaminondas changed hundreds of years of tradition in one day according to Armand D’ Angour in his book How To Innovate: An Ancient Guide To Creative Thinking.
The Theban moved his prime soldiers to the left to face the Spartan’s best. He also made it fifty shields deep. Already outnumbered, this made his right side extremely weak and their formations small in rank. Obviously, this posed a problem.
Epaminondas corrected this by ordering the troops on the right side to slowly back away from the incoming Spartans. He hoped this would buy him time.
The battle started with the strong sides smashing together. Although the Spartans were better phalanx fighters, they couldn’t move through the massive wall of men. Eventually they began to crack, with even the Spartan King Cleombrotus dying in the battle.
The battle started with the strong sides smashing together. Although the Spartans were better phalanx fighters, they couldn’t move through the massive wall of men. Eventually they began to crack, with even the Spartan King Cleombrotus dying in the battle.
The ferocious Spartans on the right began to retreat, then the Thebans swung around and hit the extended flank of their enemy. With this, the Mike Tyson of the day hit the canvas.
The Results
“In creating change there is value in thinking and acting in ways that do not follow the common trend.”
— How To Innovate: An Ancient Guide To Creative Thinking, Armand D’ Angour
The Spartan losses for the day were so devastating, it dealt the city state a mortal wound. Sparta ruled over an empire by intimidation. Their economy was based on the labor of a conquered people from Messenia, which were kept in line by the threat of their invincible army for 300 years.
As Epaminondas led his forces towards Sparta during the winter, these helots of Messenia revolted and were freed. The shield of invincibility had cracked. The helots realized the Spartans were just men and could be defeated.
The rest of the Spartan allies soon followed, defecting to Thebes’ cause.
Epaminondas also had an unknown student watching him. A hostage from Macedonia spied the new Theban bravado and tactics in awe, learning from his captors. His name was Phillip, father of Alexander The Great.
When we think of ancient Greece, we usually imagine Athens and Sparta. Names like Leonidas, Socrates, or Pericles come to mind. But for a brief time, Epaminondas might have been greater than them all.
When we think of ancient Greece, we usually imagine Athens and Sparta. Names like Leonidas, Socrates, or Pericles come to mind. But for a brief time, Epaminondas might have been greater than them all.
He teaches us much of what constrains us is just fear. There are impossibilities, of course. But we often just follow that infinite loop in life because it’s easier to do what’s always been done, and we fear the difficult task of doing something different.
That innate fear causes us to pause instead of talking to that attractive stranger, starting a business, leaving a job, or even publishing our own thoughts.
Many times thinking, technique, and innovation can overcome this difficulty if we’re willing to try. Fear itself is often the ultimate obstacle. Mike Tyson and Sparta may look invincible, but Epaminondas would remind you the strongest phalanx can crack if you apply the right force.
-Originally posted on Medium 1/9/22