Military Organization and One-Man Rule in the Greek Polis

Abstract

This essay discusses the implicit tension between the requirements of military organization and the political and legal ideals of the polis. On the one hand, there was a need to centralize military command in one person and to avoid fragmentation, which would inhibit the creation and implementation of a coherent strategy and the efficient execution of orders. 0 n the other hand, the Greek city-state wished to avoid tyranny, which placed one man above the law and posed a threat to the public good and to the rights of individuals. One of the reasons for Sparta''s military success was its solution to the problem posed by these conflicting imperatives. The essay concludes by illustrating how a single commander in the field and an elaborate command structure played a key role in the Spartan victories at Mantinea (418 BCE) and Coronea (394 BCE).