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The Hoplite Association
Ancient Greeks |
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The Greek word for weapon is hoplon, and so a Hoplite was literally a 'man at arms'. The Hoplite proved a formidable force for several centuries of Mediterranean and Near Eastern history. So much so that warriors and warfare are the most common subjects of Greek literature, sculptures and vases. The characteristic style of Greek warfare was the close hand-to-hand struggle and tight formations of heavy infantry called a phalanx. It was these heavily armed fighters, known as Hoplites, who fought either in the armies of their own cities or as mercenaries in foreign service . It is at first sight surprising that the steep mountains of Greece should have produced warriors who were only fully effective in formation on relatively level ground, but the level corn plain was vital to the city's existence, and the purpose of these armies was to dominate that territory, and either protect or devastate it. From the evidence of Greek art it is clear that this style of fighting was adopted early in the seventh century bc, or in some places, late in the eighth. Before that, it seems that a looser and more individual style prevailed, more like the single combats of the heroes in the Iliad, though they of course are stylised and romanticised. The basic difference is that the Hoplite was armed in such a way that he could only fight effectively in formation, with his shield firmly fixed on his left forearm to protect his own left side and his neighbour's right. All this required adequate training, less limelight on individual prowess and larger numbers. Accordingly, the Hoplite army included all who could afford to fit themselves out with the appropriate armour and weapons. It was, so far as the term is applicable, an army of the middle class. Training together in such an army, the Hoplite class acquired a feeling of solidarity, and the nobles' grasp of power was weakened when they were no longer the primary defenders of the city's freedom. The citizen-soldier was less easy to exclude from public life the class which now provided the dominant force on the battlefield.
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