Agesilaus Might Have Been Old, but He Was Not Too Old to Exact Vengeance for a Slight
As Plutarch described Agesilaus’ reception in Egypt: “[His] name and fame had aroused great interest and high expectations among Egyptians generally, and everyone thronged to catch a glimpse of him. When the sight proved to be nothing brilliant or elaborate, but a pathetic old man of slight build, wrapped in a coarse, shabby cloak, and lying on a patch of grass by the sea, they began to laugh and make fun of him, remarking that here was the perfect illustration of the saying about the mountain being in labour and then giving birth to a mouse“. The old Spartan monarch did not flinch at the insults, but he neither forgot nor forgave. Soon thereafter, Pharaoh Tachos’ cousin Nectanebis launched a coup to seize Egypt’s throne. After the slights and poor treatment he had received, Agesilaus had little sympathy for Tachos, so he threw his support behind the pharaoh’s cousin.
Tachos fled Egypt, but before Nectanebis could secure power, a new rival popped up from nowhere, and besieged him and Agesilaus in a fortified city. Hope seemed lost for Nectanebis, who was severely outnumbered by his rival’s forces. However, the wily old Spartan warrior had a few tricks up his sleeve. Agesilaus came up with a plan for a night attack concentrated against a gap in the besieger’s trenches, that routed and put them to flight. He followed that up with a series of brilliant maneuvers to corner the survivors between two canals, where they were slaughtered by heavily armed Greek hoplite mercenaries. Soon thereafter, Agesilaus decided to return to Sparta, and the new pharaoh rewarded him handsomely for his efforts on his behalf. However, the eighty four year old king did not survive the journey home, and died en route while his ships were anchored off the Libyan coast.