Epaminondas

Family: Bœotian · Role: cavalry officer · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 3

At Mantinea, Epaminondas led the Bœotian cavalry against Gryllus and the Athenians, in a notable charge whose officers included Gryllus and Xenophon. He was associated with Euphranor in an account of paintings, and, when still a young man, studied under Lysis. He later opposed Cleombrotus, who fought against him and the Thebans and was killed at Leuctra.

In Book 4, a vision commanded Epaminondas to restore the Messenians’ country and cities. Epiteles excavated a brass urn at Ithome and brought it to him; Epaminondas opened it and found the written mysteries of the Great Goddesses, while Caucon was identified as the figure appearing in their dreams. Encouraged by Bacis’s oracles, Epaminondas sacrificed with the Thebans to Dionysus and Apollo Ismenius, then ordered the building of Messene’s walls, houses, temples, and capital, through which the Messenians returned to their country. He later persuaded Xenocrates to retrieve Aristomenes’ shield and display it as a trophy against the Lacedæmonians.

After the victory at Leuctra, where Bacchylides’s vote joined Malgis and Xenocrates in favor of battle against those led by Cleombrotus, Epaminondas continued campaigning against the Lacedæmonians, Athenians, and their allies. He restored the Mantineans, established Megalopolis, promoted its colonization with Parmenes, expelled Lacedæmonian garrisons and governors, and was acquitted after remaining Bœotarch beyond the lawful term. At Pylæ, his assumption of command led Alexander to release Pelopidas; later Epaminondas routed Iphicrates and the Athenians, defeated forces under Chabrias, and captured Phœbia. At Mantinea he was killed by an Athenian during victory, represented in the Athenian painting as Gryllus; he was buried on the battlefield beneath a tomb marked by a dragon shield, and the Thebans later erected statues to him and Pronomus.