The Ancient Greek Hoplite

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Ancient Greek Hoplite

The ancient Greeks were known for their militaristic society. It was necessary for the Greeks to have a focus on their military because on average, two out of every three years would mean war for the society.¹ From the time a man turned the age of eighteen they were automatically enlisted in the Greek army. However, once that man turned the age of sixty, this military contract was broken. This was due to the fact that the warriors had to be in prime physical condition to carry around the required spears and shields. There was one aspect of the military that helped considerably in the success of the Greek army. This was the development of the Greek Hoplite. A Hoplite was a soldier who wore bronze body armor, carried a large, circular shield, and a thrusting spear. Hoplites would travel and fight in formation called a Phalanx.¹ The Phalanx was a military formation in which many men would walk together in an organized manner in order to protect themselves and others with their overlapping shields and spears. This form of organization brought a feeling of togetherness and unity to the Greeks in battle. When the Greeks fought in this Phalanx formation, their success in battle was extremely successful. Their conventional enemy, being slingers of rocks and archers, rarely killed the Greeks as long as they were composed and protected in this group.¹ Thought the Hoplites fighting in the Phalanx organization proved to be very successful, there were negative aspects. Hoplites were rarely trained to be specialists in weaponry or battle, except in few city-states such as Sparta.¹ Most Greeks agreed that such specialized skills would only be useful in such scenarios as pursuing the enemy and in retreat. Courage and bravery were the most important things the Hoplites brought to war. They fought for their family, their property, and each other. Another disadvantage of the Phalanx organization for the Hoplites was that it was not very effective when the army was traveling over uneven terrain or through narrow trails. To counteract this problem, the Hoplites only chose to fight their enemy on flat ground. Lastly, the Phalanx was unsuccessful when there was a sudden disruption of the formation. Usually this would happen when there was an attack from the back, or when the Hoplites would trip over themselves. However, in history, this happened much less often than a successful mission did.² The Greek Hoplite and their chosen form of formation, the Phalanx, proved to be very successful in the success of the Greek army.² It created a sense of unity amongst the soldiers giving them courage and helping them to be brave. Rarely did this form of warfare fail or cause more casualties than did other forms of warfare. Without the Hoplite and his formation, the Greeks would have been less successful in their militaristic encounters.

[edit] References

1. The Western Way of War, Victor Davis Hanson, 1989, p. 27 - 39.

2. Hoplites, The Ancient Greek Battle Experience, J. Lazenby, 1991.