Pentecostia
The Pentekostie (Greek: πεντηκοστύς (pentekostýs) = "division of 50 men" or of πεντηκοστός (pentekostós) = "fiftieth") was a division of the ancient Greek armies in the phalanx . It consisted of two enomotia . Their leader was called Pentekontarch (from Greek: ἄρχειν = to rule), also to be found in literature as Pentekonter. Two pentecontia formed a lochos .
Depending on the changing strength of the enomotia, the strength of the pentecostia could be between 50 and 72 men. In Sparta the pentecostia regularly had 72 men.
From the march, the pentecostia first developed into the enomotia, which then formed an eight or twelve-limbed phalanx by marching to the left. Thus a pentecostia in the phalanx usually occupied six rotten. Exceptions to this rule have been demonstrated especially for the Theban armies. At the Battle of Delion , the right wing was set up 25 men deep, so the Pentecosty only formed two groups. At Leuktra , Epaminondas even had the pentecostia of the left wing deploy in a single gang.
literature
- Peter Connolly, Greece and Rome at war, London 1981
- Victor Davis Hanson, The War in Ancient Greece, undated 2001 (London 1999)
- Quantity - Güthling , Langenscheidt's large dictionary Greek-German with etymology, Berlin 1973
- Wilhelm Gemoll , School and Manual Dictionary Greek-German, 9th edition