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A lochos, plural lochoi (Ancient Greek: λόχος, romanized: lokhos; pl. λόχοι, lokhoi), is a tactical sub unit of Classical Greece and of the modern Greek army. The term derived from the ancient Greek for ambush and the men carrying out the ambush, but in practice, its meaning was essentially that of "war-band", a body of armed men. This translation has been used traditionally, e.g. for the Sacred Band of Thebes.

Size and organisation

Evolving as it did with ancient Greek warfare from that of tribal Greece to that of the Greek city-states, the lochos varied in size and organisation over time and from city state to city state, ranging in size from a single file to about 640 men. The best surviving description of the lochos is that by Xenophon in his Anabasis, however this must be taken as being illustrative of a particular time and place, that of 5th century BC Sparta, rather than being truly representative. Aelian and Arrian use the terms lochos as file and lochagos as file leader.

Lochos as file

A lochos comprised an inconsistent number of men that could range from 8 to 16 men.^[1] Asclepiodotus offers three alternative names, namely stichos (στίχος), synomotia (συνωμοτία) and dekania (δεκανία). The file leader was called a lochagos and the file closer an ouragos. The men in the uneven rows were called protostates, among which the lochagos, and the men in the even rows epistates. Should the line perform a pyknosis (that is, close its ranks by placement of half the lochos in the interval between the original lochoi), then the epistates of the lochagos would become the promachos protostates of the newly employed file.

A half-file was called hemilochion (ἡμιλόχιον) or dimoiria (διμοιρία) and a quarter-file enomotia (ἐνωμοτία).^[2]

Spartan lochos

The Spartan lochos, according to Xenophon, consisted of 640 men, composed of 4 pentekostyes (pl. of pentekostys) of 160 men, with the pentekostyes in turn being composed of 4 enomotiai of about 40 men each. The lochos in turn formed half of a mora, there being 6 morai in the Spartan Army. The morai would normally be commanded by a Polemarch, and the lochos by a lochagos. However, the actual numbers would vary depending on the needs of a campaign. Spartan military organisation relied on dividing its citizen army into eight age classes and a full strength enomotiai consisted of five men from each of the age classes. However, it was unusual to draw men from the older age classes, so, on campaign, an enomotia would consist of 30 to 35 men with the lokhos and mora being correspondingly smaller.^[3] If only the first four, or even fewer, age classes were called up, then the "short" organisational lochos would be grouped together to form a full strength tactical lochos.

Whatever the theoretical size of the lochos, units of about 300 men appear frequently in the classical Greek records, this being the number of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the Spartans at Thermopylae, and the number on each side of the Battle of the Champions fought between Argos and Sparta in 546 BC. This number would give a frontage of about 40 shields given the traditional eight-deep phalanx, and probably represents the smallest number needed to form a usable phalanx.

Byzantine use

In the Byzantine army, the lochos was used as a term for a section-sized military unit, while contubernium designated the files of a tagma. According to the Sylloge Tacticorum, written in the 10th century, it was a formation of 16 men led by a lochagos. Subordinate to the lochagos was the decurion, who commanded a squad of 10 men; the pentarch, who commanded four other men; and the tetrarch, who commanded three.^[4]

Modern use

The term lochos, along with the associated rank of lochagos and its derivatives, has been revived in the modern Greek military for a company-sized command.

References

^ Asclepiodotus, Tactica 2.1
^ Asclepiodotus, Tactica 2.2
^ Hackett, John (1989). Warfare in the Ancient World. Sidgwick and Jackson ltd. p. 255. ISBN 0-283-99591-2.
^ Chatzelis, Georgios; Harris, Jonathan (2017). A Tenth-Century Byzantine Military Manual: The Sylloge Tacticorum. Abingdon and New York City: Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-317-18640-3. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[1] Asclepiodotus, Tactica 2.1

[2] Asclepiodotus, Tactica 2.2

[3] Hackett, John (1989). Warfare in the Ancient World. Sidgwick and Jackson ltd. p. 255. ISBN 0-283-99591-2.

[4] Chatzelis, Georgios; Harris, Jonathan (2017). A Tenth-Century Byzantine Military Manual: The Sylloge Tacticorum. Abingdon and New York City: Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-317-18640-3. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|Tactical subunit of the ancient and modern Greek armies}}
-A '''''lochos''''', plural '''''lochoi''''' ({{lang-el|λόχος}}, pl. {{lang|el|λόχοι}}), was a [[Military organization|tactical sub unit]] of [[Classical Greece]] and of the modern [[Greek army]]. The term derived from the ancient Greek for [[ambush]] and the men carrying out the ambush, but in practice, its meaning was essentially that of "war-band", a body of armed men. This translation has been used traditionally, e.g. for the [[Sacred Band of Thebes]].
+A '''''lochos''''', plural '''''lochoi''''' ({{langx|grc|λόχος|lokhos}}; pl. {{langx|grc|λόχοι|lokhoi|label=none}}), is a [[Military organization|tactical sub unit]] of [[Classical Greece]] and of the modern [[Greek army]]. The term derived from the ancient Greek for [[ambush]] and the men carrying out the ambush, but in practice, its meaning was essentially that of "war-band", a body of armed men. This translation has been used traditionally, e.g. for the [[Sacred Band of Thebes]].
 ==Size and organisation==
-Evolving as it did with [[ancient Greek warfare]] from that of tribal Greece to that of the Greek [[city-state]]s, the ''lochos'' varied in size and organisation over time and from city state to city state, ranging in size from a single file to about 640 men. The best surviving description of the ''lochos'' is that by [[Xenophon]] in his ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'', however this must be taken as being illustrative of a particular time and place, that of [[5th Century BC]] [[Sparta]], rather than being truly representative. [[Aelianus Tacticus|Aelian]] and [[Arrian]] use the terms lochos as file and [[lochagos]] as file leader.
+Evolving as it did with [[ancient Greek warfare]] from that of tribal Greece to that of the Greek [[city-state]]s, the ''lochos'' varied in size and organisation over time and from city state to city state, ranging in size from a single [[File (formation)|file]] to about 640 men. The best surviving description of the ''lochos'' is that by [[Xenophon]] in his ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'', however this must be taken as being illustrative of a particular time and place, that of 5th century BC [[Sparta]], rather than being truly representative. [[Aelianus Tacticus|Aelian]] and [[Arrian]] use the terms lochos as file and [[lochagos]] as file leader.
 === ''Lochos'' as file ===
-A lochos comprised an inconsistent number of men that could range from 8 to 16 men <ref>Asclepiodotus, Tactica, 2.1</ref>. Asclepiodotus offers three alternative names, namely stichos ({{Lang-el|στίχος}}), synomotia ({{Lang-el|συνωμοτία}}) and dekania ({{Lang-el|δεκανία}}). The file leader was called a [[lochagos]] and the file closer an ouragos The men in the uneven rows were called [[protostates]], among which the lochagos, and the men in the even rows [[epistates]]. Should the line perform a pyknosis, that is close its ranks by placement of half the lochos in the interval between the original lochoi, then the epistates of the lochagos would become the [[promachos]] protostates of the newly employed file.
+A ''lochos'' comprised an inconsistent number of men that could range from 8 to 16 men.<ref>[[Asclepiodotus (philosopher)|Asclepiodotus]], ''Tactica'' 2.1</ref> [[Asclepiodotus (philosopher)|Asclepiodotus]] offers three alternative names, namely ''stichos'' ({{lang|grc|στίχος}}), ''synomotia'' ({{lang|grc|συνωμοτία}}) and ''dekania'' ({{lang|grc|δεκανία}}). The file leader was called a ''[[lochagos]]'' and the file closer an ''ouragos''. The men in the uneven rows were called ''[[protostates]]'', among which the ''lochagos'', and the men in the even rows ''[[epistates]]''. Should the line perform a ''pyknosis'' (that is, close its ranks by placement of half the ''lochos'' in the interval between the original ''lochoi''), then the ''epistates'' of the ''lochagos'' would become the ''[[promachos]]'' ''protostates'' of the newly employed file.
-A half-file was called hemilochion ({{Lang-el|ημιλόχιον}}) or dimoiria ({{Lang-el|διμοιρία}}) and a quarter-file enomotia ({{Lang-el|ενωμοτία}}) <ref>Asclepiodotus, Tactica, 2.2</ref>
+A half-file was called ''hemilochion'' ({{lang|grc|ἡμιλόχιον}}) or ''dimoiria'' ({{lang|grc|διμοιρία}}) and a quarter-file ''enomotia'' ({{lang|grc|ἐνωμοτία}}).<ref>[[Asclepiodotus (philosopher)|Asclepiodotus]], ''Tactica'' 2.2</ref>
 === Spartan ''lochos'' ===
-The Spartan ''lochos'', according to Xenophon, consisted of 640 men, composed of 4 ''pentekostyes'' of 160 men, with the ''pentekostyes'' in turn being composed of 4 ''enomotiai'' of about 40 men each. The ''lochos'' in turn formed half of a ''[[Mora (military unit)|mora]]'' there being 6 ''morai'' in the [[Spartan Army]]. The ''morai'' would normally be commanded by a [[Polemarch]], and the ''lochos'' by a ''[[lochagos]]''. However the actual numbers  would vary depending on the needs of a campaign. Spartan military organisation relied on dividing its citizen army into 8 age classes and full strength ''enomotiai'' consisted of 5 men from each of the age classes. However, it was unusual to draw men from the older age classes, so on campaign an ''enomotia'' would consist of 30 to 35 men with the ''lokhos'' and ''mora'' being correspondingly smaller.<ref>{{cite book
+The Spartan ''lochos'', according to Xenophon, consisted of 640 men, composed of 4 ''pentekostyes'' (pl. of ''pentekostys'') of 160 men, with the ''pentekostyes'' in turn being composed of 4 ''enomotiai'' of about 40 men each. The ''lochos'' in turn formed half of a ''[[Mora (military unit)|mora]]'', there being 6 ''morai'' in the [[Spartan Army]]. The ''morai'' would normally be commanded by a [[Polemarch]], and the ''lochos'' by a ''[[lochagos]]''. However, the actual numbers would vary depending on the needs of a campaign. Spartan military organisation relied on dividing its citizen army into eight age classes and a full strength ''enomotiai'' consisted of five men from each of the age classes. However, it was unusual to draw men from the older age classes, so, on campaign, an ''enomotia'' would consist of 30 to 35 men with the ''lokhos'' and ''mora'' being correspondingly smaller.<ref>{{cite book
   | last =Hackett
   | first =John
-  | authorlink =John Winthrop Hackett Junior
+  | author-link =John Winthrop Hackett Junior
-  | coauthors =
   | title =Warfare in the Ancient World
   | publisher =Sidgwick and Jackson ltd
-  | date =1989
+  | year =1989
   | location =
   | pages =255
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
   | id =
   | isbn =0-283-99591-2}}</ref>
-If only the first 4 or even fewer age classes were [[Mobilization|called up]], than the "short" organisational ''lochos'' would be grouped together to form a full strength tactical ''lochos''.
+If only the first four, or even fewer, age classes were [[Mobilization|called up]], then the "short" organisational ''lochos'' would be grouped together to form a full strength tactical ''lochos''.
-Whatever the theoretical size of the ''lochos'', units of about 300 men appear frequently in the classical Greek records, this being the number of the [[Sacred Band of Thebes]], the Spartans at [[Battle of Thermopylae|Thermopylae]], and the number on each side of the "[[Battle of the 300 Champions|Battle of the Champions]]" fought between [[Argos]] and Sparta in 546 BC. This number would give a frontage of about 40 shields given the traditional eight-deep [[Phalanx formation|phalanx]], and probably represents the smallest number needed to form a useable phalanx.
+Whatever the theoretical size of the ''lochos'', units of about 300 men appear frequently in the classical Greek records, this being the number of the [[Sacred Band of Thebes]], the Spartans at [[Battle of Thermopylae|Thermopylae]], and the number on each side of the [[Battle of the 300 Champions|Battle of the Champions]] fought between [[Ancient Argos|Argos]] and Sparta in 546 BC. This number would give a frontage of about 40 shields given the traditional eight-deep [[Phalanx formation|phalanx]], and probably represents the smallest number needed to form a usable phalanx.
 ==Byzantine use==
+In the [[Byzantine army]], the ''lochos'' was used as a term for a [[Section (military unit)|section]]-sized military unit, while [[contubernium]] designated the files of a tagma. According to the ''[[Sylloge Tacticorum]]'', written in the 10th century, it was a formation of 16 men led by a ''[[lochagos]]''. Subordinate to the lochagos was the ''[[Decurion (Roman cavalry officer)|decurion]]'', who commanded a squad of 10 men; the ''pentarch'', who commanded four other men; and the ''tetrarch'', who commanded three.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chatzelis |first1=Georgios |last2=Harris |first2=Jonathan |title=A Tenth-Century Byzantine Military Manual: The Sylloge Tacticorum |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon and New York City |page=51 |isbn=978-1-317-18640-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAcqDwAAQBAJ |access-date=14 September 2024}}</ref>
-In the [[Byzantine army]], the ''lochos'' continued being used as a term for the [[File (formation)|file]]. It was the basic infantry unit of usually 8 men, composed of the file leader (''[[lochagos]]'') and seven soldiers. In the tradition of the Roman ''[[contubernium]]'', this unit slept and ate together in a single tent, and had a permanently attached servant. Alternative names were ''dekarchion'' and ''dekarchos'' for the file leader, meaning "leader of ten".
 ==Modern use==
-The term ''lochos'', along with the associated rank of ''[[lochagos]]'' and its derivatives, has been revived in the modern Greek military for a company-sized command.
+The term ''lochos'', along with the associated rank of ''[[lochagos]]'' and its derivatives, has been revived in the modern Greek military for a [[Company (military unit)|company]]-sized command.
 ==See also==
 {{wiktionary|λόχος}}
-*[[Cohort (military unit)|Cohort]] a Roman military unit of about the same size as a large lokhos
+*[[Cohort (military unit)|Cohort]], a Roman military unit of about the same size as a large lochos
-*[[Sacred Band]] for a number of units named ''Ieros Lochos'' in Greek history
+*[[Sacred Band (disambiguation)]] for a number of units named ''Ieros Lochos'' in Greek history
 *[[Tagma (military)]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+{{Italic title}}
 [[Category:Military units and formations of ancient Greece]]
@@ Line 46: / Line 50: @@
 [[Category:Military units and formations by size]]
 [[Category:Ancient Greek military terminology]]
-[[el:Λόχος]]