8/3/2023 0 Comments Ancient greek hoplite shield![]() ![]() Peltast troops commonly used javelins, and hoplites and cavalry troops were also often equipped with javelins for throwing. While the bow was a relatively uncommon weapon (the wooden stave bow used had a limited range), some troops treated their arrows by thrusting them into rotting corpses, thus creating a crude form of biological weapon. Popular ranged weapons were the bow ( toxa), javelin ( akontia) and sling ( sfendonai). Hand-to-hand, light support troops such as the psiloi were often armed with ranged weapons. The job of the peltast was not to engage in formation combat, therefore, many carried nothing more than javelins. Light infantry known as peltasts would carry a number of javelins used to pepper enemy formations, avoiding close combat whenever possible. Hoplites mounted on horseback likely used a heavier, curved sword known as the kopis, meaning "chopper" in the Greek language. This was used in the event of a broken spear, or if close melee combat was necessary. Used in conjunction with the phalanx formation, this made an impregnable wall of spears in front of the infantry the enemy's shorter weaponry could not reach the phalanx because of the sarissaĪs a secondary weapon, hoplites are known to have carried a short sword known as the xiphos which was made from iron or bronze depending on the era. Under Philip II of Macedon, hoplites were equipped with extremely long spears (up to 21 feet) called sarrisae. Mounted cavalry were known to have used a thinner spear or very long lance ( xyston) which provided a range advantage over shorter infantry spears. The doru was used one-handed (the other hand supporting the soldier's shield). The short spike was known as the sauroter, or 'lizard killer', and is presumed to have served mainly to finish off wounded opponents on the ground, as the phalanx advanced, or as a spearhead if the main spear was broken. The spearhead was usually made of bronze or iron but which one was more prominently used is still an open question. The primary weapon that was used by Greek troops was a two-to-three meter spear with a leaf-shaped blade at one end and a short spike at the other known as the doru. Paintings of Ancient Macedonian soldiers, arms, and armaments, from the tomb of Agios Athanasios, Thessaloniki in Greece, 4th century BC ![]() ![]() This would help them in the Greco-Persian Wars. Bronze was still used but rare because of how hard it was to find tin, and therefore the weapons of ancient Greece were made of iron and copper. Iron was plentiful back then and allowed smaller nations in Greece to arm themselves with weapons that were lighter and stronger than copper. This is because copper was very weak compared to iron and bronze weapons. Weapons that used copper were becoming obsolete at the time. The poorest citizens, unable to afford the purchase or upkeep of military equipment, operated on the battlefield as psiloi or peltasts fast, mobile skirmishing troops. Because individuals provided their own equipment, there was considerable diversity in arms and armor among the Hellenistic troops. Soldiers were required to provide their own panoply, which could prove expensive, however the lack of any official peace-keeping force meant that most Greek citizens carried weapons as a matter of course for self-defence. Their primary technique was called the phalanx, a formation consisting of massed shield wall, which required heavy frontal armor and medium-ranged weapons such as spears. A Greek hoplite with muscle cuirass, spear, shield, Corinthian helmet and sheathed sword.Īncient Greek weapons and armor were primarily geared towards combat between individuals. ![]()
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