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[2] Most famous were Pelopidas, Gorgidas,1 and Epameinondas. Epameinondas,2 indeed, far excelled not merely those of his own race but even all Greeks in valour and shrewdness in the art of war. He had a broad general education, being particularly interested in the philosophy of Pythagoras.3 Besides this, being well endowed with physical advantages, it is natural that he contributed very distinguished achievements. Hence even when compelled with a very few citizen soldiers to fight against all the armies of the Lacedaemonians and their allies, he was so far superior to these heretofore invincible warriors that he slew the Spartan king Cleombrotus, and almost completely annihilated the multitude of his opponents.4

1 Though Diodorus has Gorgias in two places, all other writers mentioning the Theban general of this period give only Gorgidas (see P.-W. Realencyclopädie, s.v. "Gorgidas").

2 See his life by Nepos, and Plut. Pelopidas 3-4.

3 His Pythagorean instructor was Lysis of Tarentum (Nepos Epameinondas 2.2).

4 At Leuctra, see chaps. 53 ff.

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