Ancient Greek Warfare

From the beginning of Greek times warfare was a large part of Greece and its society. Some of the major changes in warfare were weapons and armor used by Greek soldiers. In early times, Greek soldiers fought individually and were not fitted with advanced protection. They would usually be wearing a simple helmet that would protect most of their face, as well as a hard leather breastplate. The soldier’s weapons included a spear which was a hardened piece of wood with a sharp bronze tip. Spears were generally the height of the warrior and were best for close range combat. However, the spears could sometimes reach up to twenty feet long. Another common weapon of the Greek warrior was the sword which tended to be three feet long and was not practical weapons on the battlefield. Part of the Greek military included a group of archers who carried basic bows and arrows. All of these weapons however were not efficient enough to be effective on the battlefield.

As time went on, the Greek military structure started to advance and the equipment began to change drastically. The new type of soldier the Greeks used in battle was known as a Hoplite. Unlike the early soldiers, the Hoplites fought in a formation called the Phalanx in which the soldiers fought as a group instead of by themselves. In the Phalanx, warriors would line up in a square formation and use their shields to guard the person to their left. This way, all of the men will be protected and the formation would be difficult to penetrate. The Hoplite had arms that were far greater than the early Greek soldier. The Hoplite was equipped with a javelin, a much shorter and lighter spear. The javelin was an ideal throwing weapon. It had a soft iron tip which helped to penetrate armor more easily making it possible to kill enemies at a faster rate. The Hoplite also had a bronze shield called a hoplon which was large enough to cover a soldier from the neck to the knee. He also wore a bronze breastplate, bronze leggings, and the bronze Corinthian Greek. Another weapon the Hoplite may have carried was the gladius which was a small, maneuverable sword. One of the other major changes in warfare was the invention and introduction of mechanical artillery. The crossbow which replaced the bow, was much more effective at penetrating armor. It allowed soldiers to stay at a range but still have an affect on the battle. Herodotus said, “When the Persians fired their bows they hid the sun with their arrows.” This shows that ranged weaponry was an important aspect of war. Horses were also introduced into battle around 400 B.C. Types of horse soldiers were the horse archers and the chariots. These mounted units allowed soldiers to travel distances more quickly and also catch up to their enemies.