Cover photo: picture from the “Plutarch’s lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold” by William Rainey which depicts Epaminondas defending Pelopidas at the Siege of Mantinea (385 BC).

An event is the product of a sequence, or lack thereof, of other occurrences. There is a tendency to judge many of these events by their outcomes, often ignoring the difficulties, unexpected developments, and unforeseen obstacles during their execution, any one of which could completely overturn the situation.

One such event is the recapture of Thebes (which was under Spartan control) by the democrats led by Pelopidas, in the distant December of 379 BC.

Just before the scheduled start of the venture, with a core group of 48 men gathered at the house of one of the leaders, Charon, information reached Archias, one of the oligarchic pro-Spartan Thebans, about an impending coup. Archias summoned Charon, but after the initial shock, Charon realized that Archias’ information was vague and general, and he managed to refute it.

As Charon returned to his house to continue the operation, a new message arrived for Archias, which, as later proven, detailed the coup “word for word.” The deliberately intoxicated Archias (due to his secretary Phyllidas, who supported the rebels) ignored the new letter without even opening it, saying the famous phrase that has endured to this day: “Well then, let important matters wait for tomorrow,” placing it under his pillow. (In ancient greek: «ουκούν, εις αύριον τα σπουδαία», Plutarch notes that this phrase is still preserved by the Greeks, 1st-2nd century AD.)

Following this, the Thebans, in two groups (the first with Pelopidas and Damocleidas, the second with Charon and Melon), moved against Leontiades/Hypates and Archias/Philippus. The second group put women’s clothing over their breastplates and thick wreaths of pine and fir on their heads to conceal their faces in the darkness of the night, entered the banquet of Archias and Philippus, and killed them. The first group had a more adventurous task, as Leontiades’ house was sealed, and a slave happened to hear noise and opened the gate. Thus, Pelopidas and his companions rushed inside, and despite the brave resistance of Leontiades, he was killed along with Hypates.

Immediately, the Thebans sent a message to their exiled compatriots in Athens to come quickly, while the city was in great turmoil. Every citizen was out in the streets with their lamps and torches to understand what was happening, resulting in the Lacedaemonian commanders of the strong 1,500-man garrison staying inside the acropolis (Cadmea), witnessing the chaos and hearing the shouts in the night.

Still shocked, the Spartans received an immediate attack from the Thebans, who wanted to preempt any reinforcements for the besieged. And they were right. A strong force under Cleombrotus was already on the way, but they were unaware of it. Under pressure from the Thebans, the Spartans agreed to surrender the city and leave safely with their weapons. Thus, with surprise, boldness, luck, and aggressiveness, the Thebans managed to force the retreat of a significant force from the most powerful city in the Greek world.

The blow to Sparta, both in terms of prestige and substance, is evident from the fact that of the three commanders of the Spartan garrison, two were executed (Arceses and Herippidas) and one was heavily fined and exiled from the Peloponnese (Lysanoridas).

Critical Moments and “What Ifs”:

The Thebans’ attempt could have been completely thwarted before it even began if Archias had taken the reports seriously, if he had been sober, if he had read the second message, or during its execution if the Spartan garrison had decided to defend for a little longer. The retreating Spartans met Cleombrotus’ forces at Megara (!)just 60 km away from Thebes, a sign of Sparta’s immediate response.

However, all these are simply “what ifs.”

Source:

Plutarch, “Parallel Lives/Pelopidas”