The most effective greek fighting style was the phalanx formation. This was formed by the greeks when they all lined up and stuck put there spears. They did this because if any enemies came close to them they would run into their very strong shields considering they were 3-5 feet long. Also if any enemies came close they would get stabbed with the long spears which were around 13-21 feet long.This formation was first founded by the ancient sumerians, The sumerians lined up with 6 rows 6 x 6 but the greeks wanted to have more power in thee formation so they went 8 x 2. Behind them was a line of archers that could fire over and put a rain of arrows down on the opposing army. King Alexander really utilized this formation when he took over a part of the world. Even though the hoplites were the greeks main force the calvary also had a small part. At the time horses were very expensive and not all greek soldiers could afford them, so if you did have a horse to ride on during battle you would be much stronger.The peltasts were a smaller group of soldiers but still strong. They were usually placed on the sides of the phalanx armed with spears a small shield and sometimes sling shots. The use of the peltasts were to take away attention from the phalanx and let them charge in on the middle of the army they were fighting. I got all of this information here.
In battle the ancient Greek warriors were powerful because of tactics, training, strength and impressive armour. Their battle formations would allow the Greek hoplites to fight in a protected and effective way, this is one reason the Greeks were really good.The Greek hoplite was not a weak soldier, he was a very strong and skilled warrior. The Greek hoplites were the most advanced soldiers in the Greek army because of their advanced training. Greek hoplites usually carried spears with and shield. They would make a certain formation called the phalanx were they would line up with their shields in front and spears over so that when they moved forward anything in front of them would be stabbed by the spear but they would be protected by the big shield because it was around 3 feet and would cover the most important parts of their body. Their armor contained a chestplate and a helmet that protected every part of their face. Since the helmet was very heavy and hot the soldiers would keep them propped up on their heads so avoid the discomfort.The Greek hoplite would wear advanced armour for the time which was made up from numerous items. Most important to the hoplite was their shield, without this the phalanx Formation would fail.Since the shield providing protection to the body, chest and upper legs, the Greaves were very important to a hoplite. The greaves are curved pieces of bronze that the hoplite would put on his lower legs, from the top of the knee to the ankle. This piece of armor was usually light, the greaves would give good protection from kicks going towards their lower legs while fighting.The chestplate, A..K.A thorax was usually a bronze piece of armour that would guard the chest in two separate pieces. The two pieces were usually joined with leather strings, and the thorax would stop just above the waist and hips, to give the hoplite that best movement possible from the waist, while still giving the best protection of their organs. Click here to read a article from the ancient greek history encyclopedia |
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