A corselet or breastplate ( thorax) of bronze or leather (later reduced to a laminated linen vest to save weight - a linothorax), bronze greaves ( knemides) to protect the shins, and sometimes arm-guards were also worn. Protection was provided by a leather-lined bronze helmet which could vary in design, was often crested, and protected the head, neck, and face. No doubt many hoplites also carried a dagger ( encheiridion) as extra insurance. The sword was also of iron with a straight or sometimes curved blade ( machaira or kopis) no more than 60 cm in length. The spear measured on average 2.5 metres (8 ft.) in length and was fitted with a bronze or iron blade and a four-sided end spike ( sauroter). The principal weapons of a hoplite infantryman were a long ash wood spear ( doru) and a short sword ( xiphos).
The principal weapons of Greek hoplites were a long ash wood spear ( doru) & a short sword ( xiphos).
Athenian hoplite shield professional#
Sparta, where all male citizens over 20 were members of a permanent professional army, was the notable exception to this approach of only calling up an army when absolutely needed and, consequently, their hoplites were famed for their military prowess. The most famous of these was the Sacred Band of Thebes, a unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers who swore to defend their partner to the death. Other cities across ancient Greece followed a similar policy which meant that hoplites were not professional soldiers and often lacked sufficient military training, although some states did maintain a small elite professional unit, the epilektoi. A hoplite (from ta hopla meaning tool or equipment) was the most common type of heavily armed foot-soldier in ancient Greece from the 7th to 4th centuries BCE, and most ordinary citizens of Greek city-states with sufficient means were expected to equip and make themselves available for the role when necessary.Īthens had a system of compulsory military service for 18-20-year-olds, but during a war, all male citizens up to the age of 60 could be called up to the armed forces.
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