12/23/2023 0 Comments Hoplite shield construction![]() And lastly, there was/is the association of vibrant colors to regal means and swagger. ![]() This explanation might have some justification, since most Greek armies contemporary to even Xenophon’s time (the first half of 4th century BC) adopted some variants of the crimson clothing, probably inspired by their Spartan counterparts. Plutarch mentioned how the red-hued clothing might have psychologically afflicted the enemy while also hiding the Spartan’s blood wounds. Even its ‘bronzed’ part pertained to just a thin bronze ring (less than half-millimeter in thickness) that draped the wooden shield on the outer face. In fact, the ‘classic’ hoplite shield weighed around 13.5 lbs, which was just a bit heavier than the reformed Roman scutum that weighed 12 lbs. Now intriguingly enough, while popular depictions allude to superbly heavy and imposing ‘bronzed’ round-shields being carried by the Greek hoplites, the aspis was not necessarily meant to be ‘excessive’ in its structure. 6) Classical Greek hoplites probably favored mobility over armor –When we talk about Classical Greek hoplites, we mean the armored citizen-soldiers who dominated the Greek military world from early 5th century BC to late 4th century BC (before the advent of ). With this ‘modified’ formation, the men in the middle (with presumably lesser moral or physical prowess) would be inspired by the front-placed men while also being ‘physically’ driven forth by the rear-placed men. He to the construction of a well-built house (in Memorabilia) – “just as stones, bricks, timber and tiles flung together anyhow are useless, whereas when the materials that neither rot nor decay, that is, the stones and tiles, are placed at the bottom and the top, and the bricks and timber are put together in the middle, as in building, the result is something of great value, a house, in fact.”Similarly, in the case of a phalanx of Greek hoplites, the historian talks about how the best men should be placed both in front and rear of the ranks. The Spartan king made his case – ‘because the latter other armors they put on for their own protection, but the shield for the common good of the whole line.’Interestingly, Xenophon also talked about the more tactical side to a hoplite phalanx, which was more than just a closely-packed mass of armored spearmen. Source:In buddy cop movies, the trope usually involves the pairing of a young, ‘green’ but dynamic candidate with the older, wiser and grizzled police veteran. In other words, the shields used in the race might have been lighter counterparts to the actual aspis, the heavier wooden shield (reinforced with a thin sheet of bronze) originally carried in battles. Moreover, they also had to carry shields – which were probably ‘testing’ specimens specifically crafted for the hoplitodromos events. This running passage (probably) emulated the battlefield tactic of rushing through the enemy skirmishers to reach their actual lines – with 400 m being the standard arc on which the Persian archers were most effective.Now while the distance in itself was substantial, it also should also be taken into account that the participants had to run in their partial Greek hoplite panoply, including the weighty helmets and greaves. ![]() And it should be noted that as a general rule, most adult males of the Greek city-states were expected to perform military service.īut at times, the sprinting track was expanded, like at Nemea the distance was increased to 700-800 m, while at Plataea the distance was kept at a whopping 15 stades. In essence, a hoplite was a citizen-soldier who took up arms to defend or expand the realm of his city-state. Such measures over time gave rise to the Greek hoplites, a class of warriors who were not really separate from the citizens themselves. This arrangement possibly took roots by the 7th century as a more immediate solution for organized warfare and defense.In short, the tribe system (with ties of citizenry, not blood) was a natural evolution of the Greek society and military that required disciplined formations and trained men for protracted warfare, a factor that was rarely encountered (beyond literature) in the previous ‘heroic ages’. ![]() Simply put, the state probably organized its citizens and thus fighting men into tribes that had a purpose both census-wise and politically – as opposed to the conventional tribe that is primarily tied by blood relations. 1) ‘Tribes’ without blood relations –The so-called ‘tribe’ in Greek city-states were rather a politico-military evolution, contrary to what ‘tribal’ warfare suggests. So without further ado, let us check out ten incredible facts you might not have known about the Greek hoplites.
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