418 BC · Mantinea plain, Arcadia (Peloponnese) Theater
418 BC
The largest land battle of the Peloponnesian War pitted Sparta and its Peloponnesian allies against a coalition of Argos, Mantinea, and Athens. Agis II made tactical errors in his initial deployment but recovered brilliantly: he closed the gap before battle by an unexpected turn. The Spartan right routed its opponents, then wheeled to envelop the Argive-Athenian line that had briefly broken through on the other flank. The victory was crushing — over a thousand enemy dead — and restored Spartan prestige badly damaged by Sphacteria.
Commanders