[Images not mine!]
In light of all these war-like Ancient movies,
particularly the new 300 movie, I want to look a little bit more at warriors in
the ancient world, particularly the Spartan warriors, the Hoplites. I recently
read an interesting article called Hoplites
and Heroes: Sparta’s Contribution to the Technique of Ancient Warfare by
Paul Cartledge which sums up Hoplites in a basic way. Cartledge looks at the ‘Hoplite
reform’ through the lens of the Spartans as Sparta was the authority of hoplite
warfare for about two centuries until defeat in 371 BCE at Leuktra.
Important to note: There is little evidence about
Hoplites for three reasons, the basic details of warfare were left unrecorded
(taken for granted by the ancients), the archaeological record is weak (some
surviving armor), and the literary evidence is not trustworthy. Let us,
however, look at what can be determined about Hoplites.
Armor
Shield (grk aspis):
The cardinal
item of equipment was the large round shield (invented by 700 BCE). It had a
flat offset rim (itus), and a convex
section with two interior handles. It was usually made from wood with a bronze
rim, however, by 435 BCE the Spartan shields were completely faced with bronze.
There was a detachable central armband (porpax)
which the left arm went through up to the elbow and the left hand held a
leather thong (antilabe) at the rim.
The size of the shield was determined not only by the strength of the person
but also the size of his forearm. The porpax
helped relieve some of the weight of the shield.
It was not easy to maneuver to protect one’s back. It was
best used for close combat, where one could be protected by their neighbor on
the right. Design on the shield alerted one to whether the person was a friend
or foe.
Importance of shield both as protection and a symbol
summed up nicely in the admonition of the Spartan mother to her son, ‘return
from battle with it or on it.’
Breastplate (thorax):
The
breastplate was bell-shaped with two bronze plates fastened together at the
shoulders and modeled to look the torso. Above the hips, the plates were positioned
in order to make movement easy. They were heavy and hot but effective.
Helment (kranos, kunee, korus):
The ‘Corinthian’
helmet was the type most often used in the early periods. It was made from a
single bronze sheet with a felt or leather cap sewn in for protection. It
protected much of the head and the neck without restricting breathing or sight;
hearing, however, was restricted. When trumpets came into use for battle
formations, the helmet had to be modified. There was a horse-hair crest on the
top (lophos), which according to
Homer in the Iliad inspires fear in Hector as Achilles approaches. Later,
Spartans adopted lighter stiffened cap (pilos).
Other Body Armor:
Bronze greaves (knemides)
predated hoplite warfare, was shaped to the musculature of the wearer, and became
part of the hoplite attire. Elsewhere there were foot, ankle, knee, thigh and
arm guards which were optional extras.
Weapons
Spears (doru, aichme, enchos,
melie):
The spear was as essential to
the hoplite as was the shield. It was about 2-3 meters long with a smooth ashen
shaft with an iron head and butt (sturax,
sauroter) which was important for stabbing, putting the spear upright and
helped to prevent it from decay. It was difficult to use at close range.
Sword (xiphos, machaira):
Sword was an important asset
to the hoplite especially considering the limitations of the spear. It was
short with a straight-edge.
Uniform
Underneath the armor, hoplites wore a tunic (chitoniskos) made of linen, worn by all,
and dyed red. Red was a manly color, disguised bloodstains and was readily
available.
