В Древней Спарте конницы было очень мало, так как residents considered this kind of troops irrelevant. The main force were the infantrymen (hoplites). Their weapons consisted of a heavy shield, sword and long spear.
It is no secret that the history of the ancient world is almost completelyconsists of armed conflicts and violent wars. Each state sought to have its own combat-ready armies, and Greece was no exception. The bulk of its troops were the hoplites - heavily armed foot soldiers. For the first time they appeared in the army of ancient Sparta. The Greek hoplites, in fact, were citizens-soldiers and served for the benefit of the city-state in which they lived.
In those days, military service was a dutyevery man. Therefore, any of the assemblies of citizens inevitably turned into a gathering of either veterans who had already served their day or soldiers still in service at that time. It turns out that every citizen of a free policy sooner or later became a hoplite.
I must say that these heavily armedinfantrymen, beginning with the VII century and over the next four centuries, dominated the battlefields. It is known that before the father of Alexander the Great, Tsar Philip II, the hoplites were the basis of the classic phalanx.
In ancient Greece, infantry was divided into severaltactical units. The highest were mora, then the suckers, who, in turn, were divided into smaller units. The commanders who commanded the moors were called polemarches, and the suckers were called lohags.
Greek hoplites always carriedArgive Shields, or Hoplons. They were round and weighed more than 8 kg. An interesting fact is that during the flight, the soldiers first of all threw their shields because of their excessive gravity, therefore the loss of a hoplon was considered shameful for any hoplite. They were used not only to cover the body during the battle, but also as a stretcher on which wounded or dead comrades were placed.
Historians often associate the origin of the famousthe expressions "with a shield or on a shield" with this very Greek equipment. Most often, the goplon consisted of a wooden base, which was studded with an iron or bronze sheet on the outside, and covered with leather on the inside. It had comfortable handles where the warrior’s hand was threaded. The main weapon of the hoplites was xyphos - straight short or mahaira - curved swords with reverse bend. In addition, they were also supposed to wear xistons, three-meter spears for throwing.
Initially, the state did not care aboutproviding his soldiers with weapons and even passed a law, according to which every Greek hoplite (5th century BC) was obliged to equip at his own expense, although complete outfit was expensive (about 30 drachmas). This amount was comparable to the monthly income of an artisan. Usually, such an expensive weapon was inherited.
Кстати, его производство в Древней Греции flourished mainly in policies, and in small settlements it was brought from other places. At the time of Pericles in Athens there was a rather large workshop where they were engaged in the manufacture of shields. Perhaps it was the largest production in ancient Greece. It employed about 120 slaves and a fairly large number of free citizens.
Initially, the warriors wore on their head Illyrianhelmets, or pins. They were made of bronze and decorated with a horsehair comb. They were in use from VII to VI. BC e., until they were replaced by Corinthians. New helmets were completely closed and had openings only for the mouth and eyes. Outside of battle they were usually moved to the back of the head. Later, Chalcis helmets appeared, which left the ears open. In the II. BC er Thracian were considered the most popular - with a relatively small crest, complemented by curly cheek pads and a visor.
Warrior's torso defended anatomical front and backcuirass - hippothorax. Most often she weighed about 1 talent (about 34 kg), but some soldiers had armor and twice as heavy. Over time, the hippothorax gradually began to be replaced by a lighter variant — the flax shell, called the linothorax.
Other parts of the body were also protected.Thus, the Greek hoplites were equipped with knives of knimides, as well as handcuffs, which were used right up to the middle of the 5th century. BC er Proof of this fact are numerous archaeological finds discovered by scientists in the Peloponnesian Peninsula. On many amphoras and other household items, images were often quite often met where Greek hoplites (a photo of a fragment of such a vessel are presented below) fight with weapons in their hands against the next enemy.
In VII – V c. BC era reform was carried out to increase the hoplite armor. Most likely, such measures were taken to preserve the lives of warriors, since the Spartan army at that time consisted of only 8 pestilence, which is slightly more than 4 thousand soldiers.
However, since the middle of the V century. BC erthe equipment of the Greek soldiers was relieved: linen shells began to force out the anatomical cuirass. Bracers have almost completely disappeared. The reason for this was the change in the structure of the troops. It became more dense and deep, and the number of soldiers in the troops doubled. Only the number of Spartan formations remained unchanged - 144 soldiers each. Because of changes in the construction, slashing strikes were made less and less, so the hands of the soldiers were not in danger of being cut off. Now the piercing weapon was more and more often used, therefore the spears were extended from 3 to 6 meters. So the Greek hoplites began to turn into sarissophors - foot soldiers, who formed the basis of phalanxes.
Usually the Spartans marched on a full moon,and before that, their ruler always offered a sacrifice so that they would have good luck. Before the army always carried fire, taken from Sparta, which was necessary to kindle fires now for marching sacrifices. In addition, they took with them an image with the embraced Dioscuri. They personified the fraternal alliance of comrades in arms and were ideals for the Spartan warriors.
The Greek army camp almost always hadcircle shape and well guarded by helots. I must say that during the campaigns Spartans dressed very elegantly. Instead of the usual coats of coarse fabric, they wore purple clothes, and instead of parks - polished weapons to shine. Entering into battle, the soldiers put on wreaths, as if gathering for some holiday.
The troops served not only Greek hoplites.You will learn more about the Peltasts and the Slingers who helped the Spartans in battle. Since the Greeks considered cavalry to be completely useless, horses were often used only to bring rich warriors to the battlefield. Therefore, in those days, in addition to heavy infantry (hoplites), there was also a light one, consisting of the poorest citizens and slaves. The latter, in spite of their servitude, were fairly reliable people, loyal to their masters.
Each hoplite necessarily had his slave,who helped him put on his gear. In battle, the slaves were slingers who carried with them cloth bags with several dozen clay or stone cores with a diameter of up to 40 cm. They also had a special belt loop provided with a thickening. It was a sling. She skillfully spun over his head, and then released. The nucleus flew out and with great speed overtook the enemy, inflicting serious wounds on the exposed parts of the body.
Pelttases were called light infantrymen,armed with darts. They were recruited from among the poorest townspeople who were called up for service, and who did not have the opportunity to purchase weapons and armor of the hoplite. It happened that some of them acquired such uniforms at the city expense.
Peltasts threw their weapons at a distance of about15 m. They did not need a large supply of darts, as they had time to use only a few in the short time until the enemy approached close. I must say that the dart as a weapon was much more dangerous than an arrow, because, getting into the enemy's shield, it was stuck in it, making it difficult to make any protective manipulations.
Как известно, греческие гоплиты – это ополченцы, who could hardly keep a run while moving, and there was no question of hand-to-hand combat skills. Of course, it can be assumed that free citizens were engaged in some kind of physical exercise, however, there was neither the ability nor the strength to constantly work on improving their body, especially after reaching a more mature age, and even the peasants.
Another thing is the Spartans.From the very childhood, each of them was taught the art of war. They knew how to fight, and rightly were proud of it. The Spartan hoplites not only knew how to impeccably keep the line, in which they were helped by the flutists, but also competently hand-to-hand fighting. They were almost the best warriors of the Ancient World.
It is safe to say that the main roleit was Greek goplite that played the defense of their cities against enemy troops. 480 year BC er - This is the time when the huge army of the king of Persia, Xerxes, crossed the strait and invaded foreign territory. Greece was forced to defend itself. Its allied army consisted of groups of hoplites sent from eleven cities, including Sparta. In order to prevent further advancement of the enemy inland, the Greeks tried to block the narrow Fermopilsky passage. Two days they managed to beat off the superior forces of the Persians, but the betrayal of one of the local residents, who conducted the enemy units around the defenders, did not give a single chance of victory. All the Greek army retreated, except for three hundred Spartans and two more detachments - the Thebans and the Thespians, who, however, also surrendered to the enemy in speed.
Спартанцы знали, что им не выиграть бой, но Law and honor were not allowed to retreat. Here, in Thermopylae, they defended their land, the Opunta Locrida and Boeotia, through which the Persian army was to pass. Courageous hoplites did not retreat and died, taking an unequal battle.
Время неумолимо бежит вперед, но история все же retained irrefutable evidence of the existence of the free city of Sparta and its brave warriors who defended their land from enemies. Many people still admire their heroism, and eminent directors make films about them. In addition, in almost any store where there is a souvenir department, there will definitely be at least one rather realistic figure of Greek hoplite in an unusually beautiful uniform.
