Whilst Sparta did not field the vast cavalry of Periclean Athens, nor had the renowned horsemen of the northern tribes in Thessaly or the mounted bowmen of Scythia, the cavalryman did have a place there. Its place and the transformations of Spartan cavalry over time add to the tale of the Spartan hoplite.
A nation of horse breeders
Perhaps unexpectedly, Sparta was a nation of horsemanship. As early as the 540s BC, we find monuments to Spartan equestrian victories, such as that of Euagoras erected at Olympia (Pausanias, 6.10.8). Within the sanctuary of Athena on the Spartan acropolis, a well-known stele from the late fifth century BC is crowned with a sculpted relief depicting a four-horse chariot in motion, erected by a certain Damonon. This stele lists a number of athletic and equestrian victories won by Damonon and several more athletic victories won by his son, Enymacratidas. Of Damonon’s equestrian victories, 43 are recorded as four-horse chariot races and 21 as horse race victories, for all but three of which Damonon rode or drove himself. Whilst Damonon is far from being representative of all Spartans, we can assume wealthy Spartans had the opportunity to show off their wealth at equestrian contests, not unlike their Athenian counterparts. One might also consider the famous tale of Cynisca, daughter of King Archidamus II, and her chariot racing success, or that of her brother Agesilaus – lauded for breeding war horses.
Moreover, a seventh-century BC ivory plaque found in Sparta – a skilled rider who practised the art of mounting and dismounting whilst the horse was in motion. With its wide grasslands, Sparta made sense as a place of horsemanship. Examples of sweeping success in breeding, training, and racing horses appear across the sixth to third centuries BC, particularly in the Panhellenic Games. The story of Spartan cavalry, however, is less consistent and plagued with difficulties.
