Hoplites Inventory

The Hoplites Inventory

Edward Rodriguez
12-4-15
Belen Jesuit Prep
Honors World History
Dr. Tudela During Ancient Greek times there were different types of infantry used in battles. The different types of infantry were: hoplites, light troops and calvary. The light troops were sling throwers, archers and peltasts. The calvary were not a common infantry they would use because of the way they were limited by terrain and cost. The most functional and most recognized infantry was hoplites, heavy foot soldiers who would provide their own equipment. The hoplites were citizen-soldiers that were the central element of warfare in Ancient Greek who used tactics and different strategies for battles. During the Archaic Period the hoplite's,
The armor needed in battle was exceptionally expensive and so it was easier to be passed down through families. The different hoplites had different types of armor, according to their social status. The peasant hoplites would only carry a shield and maybe a helmet if they could afford it. The upper-class would have a breastplate of bronze or leather, bronze greaves to protect the shins, and sometimes arm-guards also. ( “ Greek Warriors” 6) The helmets that the hoplites would wear were “corinthian” which was beaten out of a single sheet of bronze. The helmets would have eye slits, and breathing spaces for the mouth and nose. The helmets that they would use would offer various amounts of protection, due to the additional innovations some hoplites would add such as check plates and visors. These innovations would help protect them but at a moderate price. The different city states had its family crest on their helmets to be able to differentiate each other during battle. (Nardo
The shield that the hoplites would use, was called hoplon, and would measure three feet in diameter and weighed about eighteen pounds. The hoplon was reinforced on the outside by a coating of bronze and a wooden core. The inside of the shield had a, porpax, a bronze strip with a loop in the middle for the soldier to put his left arm in. ( Nardo 28 ) These hoplite shields were ornamented with a leather curtain hung down from the shields bottom as we see in some of the ancient vase paintings. It is believed to say that the curtains were used to protect the soldier’s legs against arrows and other missiles. The hoplites used the shield as a way to instill fear into the enemy by having a painting of a monster on the outer part of the shield. Another decoration of the shield was to have a painting that would indicate family background, military rank and to denote nationality. Some examples were a picture of a club which belonged to their patron, Heracles, another example would be Mantinea, a trident which was a symbol of their patron, Poseidon. ( Nardo 29 ) These examples show how the shield was not only used a way of defense but also to denote each other and also instill fear into the