CLST 2101 Chapter : CLST 2101 Unit 2 Archaic Greece Cultural Narrative
Document Summary
He wore a helmet and protective armor and was armed with a sword, spear and a shield. This shield was the hoplon (greek ), for which this type of soldier was named. The equipment of the hoplite was not so different from that described for warriors in homer, but the style of fighting in the archaic period was not the duel but the phalanx. In a phalanx, hoplite warriors formed rows of battle lines in formation tight enough that each warrior protected the soldier to his left with his shield. The spartans became the premiere warriors in this type of battle. This type of battle fostered a bond that permeated other areas of aristocratic society, most notably in sparta, where the lives of elite men were mostly shaped by the culture of hoplite warfare. The equipment and time needed for hoplite warfare meant that it was effectively restricted to elite men in a polis.
