As the formation collides with one another, spheres are aimed at the groin of each opponent. The sword swings an aim towards an enemies head and vital parts of the body. Extreme agility and presence of mind are required to every hoplite in the exhausting close combat.
The defeated phalanx has only two choices to survive: The first option would be is to drop their weapons and flee hastily without being pursued by the victorious opponent which is normal in Greek Warfare. The second option is to retreat in the same formation in an orderly manner. However, this situation based on historical events often happens. After which, 5. victory was enforced by ransoming the fallen back to the defeated, called the "custom of the Greeks"(Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 2005).
History: Development and Downfall
As the economy of Ancient Greece developed, city states have focused their attention in developing a much reliable armies of foot army. During the Sixth and Seventh Century B.C. military service were held as a symbol of distinction of citizenship. Common among the recruited soldiers were the aristocrats and noblemen of Greece. 6. In the early sixth century B.C., the archon Solon instituted four classes defined by income and gave each class a proportionate measure of political responsibility. The second wealthiest class, the hippeis ("horsemen"), earned enough from their land to maintain a horse and so fought as cavalry; the third wealthiest group, the zeugitai, were able to afford the equipment of a hoplite; the wealthiest class, the pentakosiomedimnoi ("five-hundred-bushel men"), supplied the leaders for the armed forces; and the poorest class, the thetes, were hired laborers who served as oarsmen in the Athenian fleet, or as archers and light-armed men on land (the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006)
King Philip of Macedonia initiated the establishment of a professional army of hoplites. In the early century, hoplites were part of the citizen militia. However the new norms in the precise and highly disciplined training of the hoplites were in the verge which eventually was adapted by the city state of Sparta.
At the height of the Hoplite Wars in the Eight-Century B.C. several changes and development have evolved within the ranks and class of the hoplites. Greek Warfare was principally held on land battle with the development of the phalanx formation. It is a formation used by the hoplites to defend the ranks while in the line of attack. Initiating a rectangular formation, hoplites would lock their shield or Aspis while moving forward with the thrust sphere extended towards the enemy. The effectiveness of this formation was proven in Marathon with the victory of the Athenians over the Persians. In this period, the Persian War brought forth some changes with the usual armament of the hoplites. Having been instructed to pursue the archers of Persia in battle, innovations were made on the basic components of the panoplies of the hoplites. It adapted other lighter materials to make the armor and helmets. Their shields were reduced to a smaller size but are still capable of protecting the phalanx formation of the hoplites. The Persian War also brought forth augmentation of other military personnel in the army. Specifically, the Athenians commissioned peltasts, a type of light infantry in ancient Greek Warfare. They often function as skirmishers for the army, a small troop lined in for short lightning battles. Athenians also started to implore the services of additional cavalry in response to the tactics of the Persian Army.
During the Peloponnesian War, with Athens brewing conflict against the Peloponnesian league spearheaded by Sparta, the credibility of the hoplites has been in decline. In these battles the determination of the Athenian Hoplites has been in vain during the whole period of the conflict. Being...
Furthermore, those people who did not speak Greek were referred to as barbar, the root of our word barbarian."[footnoteRef:5] [4: Ibid] [5: Ibid] Question 3 There are many aspects of Greek culture and artistic traditions that have left their mark on civilization. These contributions included, their architecture, theatre and athletic competition. Each one of these aspects requires a student of history to investigate and understand how these ideas have impacted human development. Greek
The Greco-Persian Wars were still in their early stages at this point, but it would be Xerxes, not Darius, that continued and stepped up efforts to invade and conquer the Attic Greeks. If the Battle of Marathon had turned the other way, as many at the time expected it to and as many historians and tacticians believe it easily could and by all rights should have, the entire course of
Also, from Herodotus's books we see that some of them, obeying the famous oracle of Delphi, or using its predictions as an excuse, decided to surrender, and give "earth and water." This is particularly relevant on the influence of religion in that period. It was not uncommonly for wars to be delayed or even abandoned because of the predictions of oracles and the one in Delphi, which had a primary
Dark Age and the Archaic Age Having watched the lectures for the prior learning unit on video, I was prepared to enjoy the video lecture presentation for this learning unit. I previously found the presentation of lectures in the video format to be very convenient because I could observe at my own pace, rewind if I missed part of the lecture, have flexibility about when I was viewing the lecture, and
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