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How the Oracle of Delphi looked in it's day!
Here's a subject that most of us never think about.   We always picture and think of
the typical Hoplite, but hardly ever think of the Ancient Spartan Marine!

"Ancient Spartan Marines!"

By Stephanos Skarmintzos.



When the Spartan army is discussed images of ordered ranks of hoplites on a plain come to
memory. Yet ancient Laconia had a cost line and it had to defend it too. The eastern shores, rocky
and ragged were not favoring enemy landings but the southern shores near the towns of Elos and
Gytheio need to be protected. We can only speculate if the Spartans used light vessels of  “cutter”
class to patrol their southern coastlines and protect their fishermen form enemy marauders, during
the Archaic period. These vessels might have an armed troops complement even hoplites. Although
an alliance with the Corinthians and support of Aeginitans and Megareans against the Athenians
were an indirect way to protect their shores. Things changed after the Messenian Wars. Plutarch
and Pausanias mention the honors that the Spartan king Theopompos received from the Pylians
and other coastal Messenias. The Spartans wisely gave the coastal Messenians Perioikoi status. In
this way they acquired experienced seamen and vessels where they could mount their hoplites as
marines.

The Spartan fleet was not significant compared to the Corinthians or Aeginitans or later the
Athenians. Herodotus mentions 10 vessels in Salamis. The Spartans were facing the Ionian and
Cypriot complements of the Persian fleet. Some of their opponents did not engage, leading to
accusations of treason from the Phoenicians but some put up a big fight only to be cut down
mercilessly by the Spartans who gave no quarter to those perceived as traitors to the Greek cause.
Other Spartan detachments distinguished themselves serving with the fleet of the Delean league at
Mycale. Spartan officers served as military instructors to the allied marines at the operations on the
Thracic coast with Pausanias where their stern discipline made them unpopular with the crews.
After Pausanias was recalled, the fleet and the marine service were neglected. The fact that the
naval arm was expensive to maintain and Spartan unwillingness for distant campaigns had
certainly something to do with it.

      The constant Athenian shore raids during the Peloponnesian War came as a shock to the
Spartans who were forced on the defensive lacking the means to effectively defend themselves
Spartan admiral Knimos attempted to raid Salamis with the aid of his Megarean allies but the
megarean vessels were so unseaworthy that the operation failed. In retaliation, the Athenians
destroyed most the Spartan fleet in the Gytheo anchorage with a daring "commando style" raid. Its
loss would be felt at Sfacteria were the failure of the Spartans to coordinate with their allies in order
to execute an amphibious operation ended in the destruction of the Pylos mora.

      The Spartans, shocked by the events, took drastic measure to redress their shortcomings. They
gave refuge to the Aeginitans, who were driven off by the Athenians, settling them in Thyrea hoping
perhaps to make use of their seamanship.              Their intervention in Sicily brought them the help
of the experienced Syracusans and following the advice of Alkibiades they rebuilt their fleet with
Persian gold. Using also the same money they hired experienced seamen among their allies or
other neutrals. After stubbornly enduring defeats and loosing admiral Mindaros in the process they
sent their ablest commander Lyssandros to replace him. Lyssandros in a masterly executed
surprise attack wiped out the Athenian fleet in Aegos Potamoi securing victory for Sparta. By a
strange twist of fate it was the amphibious warriors not the famous Spartan hoplites who had won
such victory for Lakedemon.

      Spartan marine hoplites probably recruited in the coastal areas Pylos and Elos, and carried the
emblems of the leopard and the bull but hoplites from other units could not be ruled out. The royal
solar symbol and the royal bodyguards “Dokana” appeared also when the king was present with
the fleet. Other admiral from the Aegidae clan would sport the coiled snake on their shields.

      At the end of the 4th century B.C. The ubiquitous Lambda had appeared.

"Spartan shield emblems."
by
Stephanos Skarmintzos
CONTENT; ORACLE OF DELPHI;
ARTICLES WRITTEN BY
STEPHANOS  SKAMINTZOS ON
SPARTAN MARINES & SHIELD
EMBLEMS
"HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE"
PAGE 5
How it looks today
The Entrance to the Oracle of Delphi
We cannot be sure what the Spartan shield emblems were in the Bronze Age. There is not enough
archeological evidence for the time being. We have more details for the Classical Period.

Our primary source of knowledge was the "Chigi" vase and an older archaic aryballos currently in
the British Museum. This was our main source for depicting and reconstructing the Lakedemonian
Classical warrior.

Then in 1916 the British Archeological School excavated the shrine of Artemis Orthia and found a
number of lead "seals" that had to be shield devices. They all followed specific patterns and could
be categorized. Later studies showed the remains of engravings. Some were clear enough to make
out the name of the owner. This has made scientists believe that this is the first example of "dog-
tags". These findings along with info given by Tyrtaios, Terpandros, Thukidides, Plutarch and
Pausanias serve as the basis of the following study.

The Lakedemonian Army was among the first to divide the phalanx into tactical units:

The MORAE, numerically equivalent to a modern army battalion, they seem to have also
administrative units like the regiments of the Napoleonic Era. Each one had its own shield device

The MORA of Sparta proper had the "Gorgoneion" of the Chalkioiokos Athena shrine in Sparta. The
War goddess was fitting patron for a place of Strategists. The best example survives in the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens.

The MORA of Skiritis that later evolved as the Spartan "commandos" had the white hawk in red or
black outline.

The MORA of Amyklae the only indigenous community to have citizen rights sported proudly the
rooster, one of the symbols associated with Apollo as a sun god. Amyklae were the center of the
Karneios Apollon cult.

The MORA of Elos had the bull’s head with its horns downwards. These rugged tough oxen were in
existence in Greece up to the early 20th century. Acording to a legend told by Arnovios, Zeus mated
with the Earth goddess in the form of a bull.  Others sat it was Poseidon Tauroos that cama out from
Gytheo shore (near Elos) and mated with the goddess.

The leopard was the symbol of Pylos from the Bronze Age. So it was probably the MORA-emblem of
those who held property there and they did not sport the lion badge as many think.  The leopard
appears on Pottery of city-states allied with Sparta probably depicting the allies Spartan hoplites



The MORA of those who lived in Stenyclaros near the Arcadian border was sporting the full sized
black wild boar as opposed to the red boar of Archaic Tegea. According to the legend Hercules had
offered a boar as a sacrifice to his father Zeus in this place.

The MORA of Geronthrae around modern Mystras, where the temple of Ares (Marsh) overlooked the
area and ceremonies hel in honour of the War God during the time where the stars of Scorpio
Constellations were most bright sported the scorpion on their shields.

The MORA of Limnatis, where the community revered Artemis as the “Misters of Nature” sported the
wild goose that was the symbol of the goddess.

Also families of the Aegidae who could prove land rights from the “Heroic Age” were sporting a
snake with one loop and its head looking upwards on their shield device. Based on pottery
depictions it seems to be black on red background. Same rules applied to the Mealpontidae clan
who were healers and sheers and the Talthybiadae clan who were the hereditary clan of Spartan
heralds and traced their linage to the herald of the Homeric king Menelaus

The widely known “Lamda” appeared late in the Peloponnesian, first on the shields of Brasidas
Neodamodeis (newly enfranchised ex-helots). It seems to have been the Spartan symbol In the
Hellenistic period too.

The King is represented in pottery and sculptures with traverse crest and currying the solar symbol
of Sparta. According to Plutarch he has two bodyguards who are Olympic champions and carry
olive wreaths on their helmets. They might have carried the DIOSKOYROI DOKANA on their shields.
File leaders probably had high crests to be recognized more easily.
"Derkylidas"