IPHICRATES  , Athenian

general, son of a shoemaker, flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century B.C . He owes his fame as much to the improvements which he made in the accoutrements of the peltasts or light-armed mercenaries (so called from their small round shield, 7rrXT)1) as to his military successes . Increasing the length of their javelins and swords, substituting linen corselets for their heavy coats-of-mail, and introducing the use of a kind of light leggings, called after him " iphicratides," he increased greatly the rapidity of their movements (Diod . Sic . XV . 44) . He also paid special attention to discipline, drill and maliceuvres . With his peltasts Iphicrates seriously injured the allies of the Lacedaemonians in the Corinthian War, and in 392 (or 390) dealt the Spartans a heavy blow by almost annihilating a mora (battalion of about 600 men) of their famous hoplites (Diod . Sic. xiv . 91; Plutarch, Agesilaus, 22) . Following up his success, he took city after city for the Athenians; but in consequence of a quarrel with the Argives he was transferred from Corinth to the Hellespont, where he was equally successful . After the peace of Antalcidas (387) he assisted Seuthes, king of the Thracian Odrysae, to recover his kingdom, and fought 9 against Cotys, with whom, however, he subsequently concluded an alliance .

About 378 he was sent with a force of mercenaries to assist the Persians to -reconquer

Egypt; but a dispute with Pharnabazus led to the failure of the expedition (Diod . Sic. xv . 29-43) . On his return to Athens he commanded an expedition in 373 for the relief of Corcyra, which was besieged by the Lacedaemonians (Xenophon, Hellenica, vi . 2) . On the peace of 371, Iphicrates returned to Thrace, and somewhat tarnished his fame by siding with his father-in-law Cotys in a war against Athens for the possession of the entire Chersonese . The Athenians, however, soon pardoned him and gave him a joint command in the Social War . He and two of his colleagues were impeached by Chares, the fourth commander, because they had refused to give battle during a violent storm . Iphicrates was acquitted but sentenced to pay a heavy fine . He afterwards remained at Athens (according to some he retired to Thrace) till his death (about 353) . There is a short sketch of his life by Cornelius Nepos; see also C . Rehdantz, Vitae Iphicratis, Chabriae et Timothei (1854); Bauer, Griech .

Kriegsaltert. in Mailer's Handbuch, 4, § 49; and histories of

Greece, e.g . Holm, Eng. trans., vol. iii .