CLST 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Phalanx, Psiloi, Hippeis

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: CLST 100
• Professor: Fabio Colivicchi

Document Summary

Hoplite: citizen solders of athenian city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Peltasts: soldiers armed with a light crescent-shaped shield (pelte), javelins and swords. Originally from thrace, this type of soldiers became common in greece. The evolution of greek warfare from the 5th c. the phalanx. In general, the hoplite phlanax was still the main combat unit, but there were changes in military gear. Hoplites had lighter helmets and armour, which made the phalanx more mobile and flexible. The new lighter gears were also less expensive and more people could afford fighting as hoplites. Starting from the peloponnesian war there were attemps to improve the traditional use of the phalanx with a different battle order and basic maneuvers. Traditional hoplite tactics: elite troops and commander on the right wing to counter the natural tendency to shift to the right. The phalanx was not the absolute protagonist of warfare anymore.