The Battle of Plataea (Greece, July 25-30, 2022)
To commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the final Greek victory over the Persian Empire, reenactors from around the world gathered for a weeklong encampment on the original battlefield. The Greek Phalanx was among them.
by Andrew Yamato
Photos by John Bracken and others, including the event’s official photographers. If you’d like a photo credit, please let us know.
Surveying the battlefield of Plataea from the ruins of the ancient city wall. This region of Greece, Boeotia, was known as “The Dancing Floor of Ares” because its many open plains — strategically located in the heartland of Greece — were so frequently fought over by warring city states.
Our goatskin tent at dawn. The battlefield lies in the distance to the north.
The smallest unit of a Greek army was the suskenia — literally “tentmates.” These were informal groups of friends (often but not necessarily corresponding to shared position in the line of battle) who shared a common fire, mess, and shelter.
Looking west from the Spartan First Position, on a hilltop on the Greek far right flank. After assembling here at dawn, our column of hoplites and auxiliaries portrayed the Spartans for this phase of the reenactment, following their original retreat route on the morning of the battle’s tenth and last day.
The mustered phalanx witnesses a reenactment of the famous confrontation between the Spartan commander Pausanias and the Spartan officer Amompharetus, who refused to join the retreat until the last minute, threatening the overall Greek battle plan.
The column marches off.
Cavalry scouts ahead of the column.
Javelin-armed peltast light infantry provide security for the column.
The column arrives at the Spartan Second Position.
The Spartan Second Position — where they fought the Persians on the final day of the battle — is now marked by a modest chapel in a small pine forest. Upon our arrival we were given a much-needed rest.
Pablo Galan Aparisi of the Spanish group Athenea Promakhos.
Till Kazper from Germany — one of the contributors to the excellent linothorax.de website.
Robin Van der Linden from the Dutch group Enyalios.
Johnathan Bracken, co-founder of The Greek Phalanx.
Greek Phalanx member David Anthony from Orlando, Florida.
Andrew Yamato, co-founder of The Greek Phalanx.
Greek Phalanx member Dr. Paul Bardunias, from Miami, Florida.
Greek Phalanx member Patrick Mulhair, from Cleveland, Ohio.
Athanasios Porporis (aka Amompharetus) of Ancient Hoplitikon of Melbourne from Australia.
Looking northwest from the final Spartan position. It was here that they endured volley after volley of Persian arrows while awaiting word from their furiously sacrificing priests that the omens were good to attack. The hurled stone which killed The Persian commander Mardonius is probably still here somewhere.
Before a crowd of spectators mostly comprised of townspeople from Plataea and Thebes, our phalanx divides to perform a demonstration of othismos — the famous “push,” “press,” or “crush” of phalanx combat.
A pressure sensor worn by Dr. Paul Bardunias in the front rank registered almost 600 pounds of pressure in the shield-to-shield press of othismos. Previous experiments under more controlled circumstances have yielded forces around 850 pounds.
With spears lowered, the phalanx reforms to face spectators in a different phase of the public demonstration.
Under the blazing afternoon sun, the phalanx — now portraying Athenians — marches into the far-left position of the Greek line, where it historically faced the Thebans — fellow Greeks who’d been compelled to fight for the Persians. The modern town of Plataea is visible at the foot of the mountains.
For this phase of the reenactment, Greece’s own sons provided our opposing force: modern-day Thebans, portraying their distant ancestors. Their red shields carry the club of Herakles — a blazon closely associated with Thebes, which claimed to be hero’s hometown.
Our phalanx — now portraying the Athenians — stands at attention to hear the “harangue” (motivational speech) of our commanders, Christian Cameron and Giannis Kadoglou.
Careful to maintain formation, the Athenian phalanx moves forward, approximately ten shields across and five ranks deep.
Othismos! The Athenian right flank successfully turns the Theban left. Spears are held upright for safety, but as someone knocked down and trampled on the Athenian left, I can assure you this encounter did not lack for adrenaline.
An Athenian cavalryman runs down a Theban peltast.
Because of Plataea’s central location, it was easy to make pilgrimages to other ancient battlefields during the daily afternoon siestas made necessary by the scorching heat. Here we visit the battlefield of Thermopylae, where an ancient monument is inscribed with an epitaph by the Greek poet Simonides: “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.”
Here we visit the reconstructed remains of the Theban tropaion (trophy monument) on the battlefield of Leuctra, commemorating their victory over the Spartans in 371 BCE. This photo is taken from the perspective of the Spartans. The Theban phalanx led by Epaminondas approached from the hills in the distance, only revealing the extraordinary 50-shield depth of its left wing as it emerged over the ridge. The tropaion (derived from the Greek word “trophe” for “turn”) marks the turning point of the battle, where the two phalanxes clashed and the Spartan king Cleombrotus fell. The erection of a permanent stone monument broke with the Greek tradition of temporary, improvised tropaions (which fostered no lingering resentment), but the Thebans were very aware that this decisive victory marked the beginning of their own Golden Age — the so-called Theban Ascendancy — and they wanted it remembered.
The Golden Age of Thebes was short-lived. In 338 BCE, the Thebans and their Athenian allies were decisively defeated by the Macedonian King Philip II and his son Alexander here on the plain of Chaeronea, not far from Leuctra and Plataea in Boeotia. The allied phalanx stretched across this valley from the mountains in the distance to the curving river, where the elite Sacred Band of Thebes — a 300-strong elite battalion composed of 150 homosexual couples — faced the Companion Cavalry of the future Alexander the Great.
The Sacred Band fought bravely at Chaeronea while the rest of the allied phalanx crumbled before the Macedonian onslaught, and were eventually killed to a man. According to Plutarch, Philip is said to have wept over their bodies after the battle and issued a warning: “Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly.” This lion monument, built later by the Thebans, watches over an enclosure containing 254 skeletons thought to be the remains of the Sacred Band.
Every other day, we drove 45 minutes over a mountain pass from Plataea to a small beach town on the Gulf of Corinth for some afternoon R&R.
Much to the bemusement/horror of local families at the beach, we took the opportunity to cleanse the grime of Plataea in the ancient fashion, with olive oil and a bronze strigil. Some pre-event tanning is highly recommended for future events!
Back at Plataea, we conducted hoplomachia (combat drill) in the shade of a small evergreen forest.
A Spartan hoplite practices javelin throwing as part of his morning exercises.
The champion of our Olympic Games!
The sun sets on Plataea as our cavalry stands watch.
Dusk descends on a camp that will soon come alive with evening festivities.
Offerings of incense are made to carved figures of Zeus, Demeter, and Athena.
A proper symposium is hosted by the Spanish reenactment group Athenea Promakhos for guests gathered from the US, Australia, and Austria.
The French group Les Somatophylaques relaxes in their tent.
Hoplites join the townspeople of Plataea in the town square to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the battle — and its first reenactment.