Editing Hoplite (section)

==History==

[[File:Globular aryballos Louvre Ele357.jpg|thumb|Hoplites on an [[aryballos]] from Corinth, c. 580–560 BC ([[Louvre]])]]

===Ancient Greece===
{{further|Ancient Greek warfare}}

The exact time when hoplite warfare was developed is uncertain, the prevalent theory being that it was established sometime during the 8th or 7th century BC, when the "heroic age was abandoned and a far more disciplined system introduced" and the [[aspis|Argive shield]] became popular.<ref>Peter Connoly, ''Greece and Rome at War'', p. 37.</ref> Peter Krentz argues that "the ideology of hoplitic warfare as a ritualized contest developed not in the 7th century [BC], but only after 480, when non-hoplite arms began to be excluded from the phalanx".<ref>Peter Krentz, ''Fighting by the Rules – The Invention of the Hoplite Agon''.</ref> [[Anagnostis Agelarakis]], based on recent archaeo-anthropological discoveries of the earliest monumental polyandrion (communal burial of male warriors) at [[Paros]] Island in Greece, unveiled a last quarter of the 8th century BC date for a hoplitic phalangeal military organization.<ref>F. Zafeiropoulou and A. Agelarakis, "Warriors of Paros", ''Archaeology'' 58.1(2005): 30–35</ref>

The rise and fall of hoplite warfare was tied to the rise and fall of the [[city-state]]. As discussed above, hoplites were a solution to the armed clashes between independent city-states. As Greek civilization found itself confronted by the world at large, particularly the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], the emphasis in warfare shifted. Confronted by huge numbers of enemy troops, individual city-states could not realistically fight alone. During the [[Greco-Persian Wars]] (499–448 BC), alliances between groups of cities (whose composition varied over time) fought against the Persians. This drastically altered the scale of warfare and the numbers of troops involved. The hoplite phalanx proved itself far superior to the Persian infantry at such conflicts as the [[Battle of Marathon]], [[Thermopylae]], and the [[Battle of Plataea]].

[[File:Squatting warrior Staatliche Antikensammlungen 8966.jpg|thumb|left|Crouching warrior, [[tondo (art)|tondo]] of an [[Attica|Attic]] [[black-figure]] [[kylix (cup)|kylix]], {{Circa|560 BC}} ([[Staatliche Antikensammlungen]])]]

During this period, [[Athens]] and [[Sparta]] rose to a position of political eminence in Greece, and their rivalry in the aftermath of the Persian wars brought Greece into renewed internal conflict. The [[Peloponnesian War]] was on a scale unlike conflicts before. Fought between leagues of cities, dominated by Athens and Sparta respectively, the pooled manpower and financial resources allowed a diversification of warfare. Hoplite warfare was in decline. There were three major battles in the Peloponnesian War, and none proved decisive. Instead there was increased reliance on navies, skirmishers, mercenaries, city walls, [[siege engines]], and non-set piece tactics. These reforms made [[Attrition warfare|wars of attrition]] possible and greatly increased the number of casualties. In the Persian war, hoplites faced large numbers of skirmishers and missile-armed troops, and such troops (e.g., [[peltast]]s) became much more commonly used by the Greeks during the Peloponnesian War. As a result, hoplites began wearing less armour, carrying shorter swords, and in general adapting for greater mobility. This led to the development of the [[ekdromos]] light hoplite.

Many famous personalities, philosophers, artists, and poets fought as hoplites.<ref>[[Socrates]] as a hoplite: Plato, ''Symposium'' 219e–221b.</ref><ref>[[Epicurus]] as a hoplite: ''[[Diogenes Laërtius]], Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book X''.</ref>

According to Nefiodkin, fighting against Greek heavy infantry during the Greco-Persian Wars inspired the Persians to introduce [[scythed chariot]]s.<ref>{{Citation
 | last = Nefiodkin
 | first = Alexander K.
 | title = On the Origin of the Scythed Chariots
 | journal = Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte
 | volume = 53
 | issue = 3
 | year = 2004
 | pages = 371–378
}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Sparta===
{{further|Spartan army}}

[[File:Achaemenid king killing a Greek hoplite.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Achaemenid]] king killing a Greek hoplite. Circa 500 BC–475 BC, at the time of [[Xerxes I]] ([[Metropolitan Museum of Art]])]]

[[Sparta]] is one of the most famous city-states, along with Athens, which had a unique position in ancient Greece. Contrary to other city states, the free citizens of Sparta served as hoplites their entire lives, training and exercising in peacetime, which gave Sparta a professional standing army. Often small, numbering around 6000 at its peak to no more than 1000 soldiers at lowest point,<ref>Lane Fox, Robin. The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian. Basic Books. {{ISBN|0-465-02496-3}}.</ref> divided into six [[Mora (military unit)|mora]] or [[battalion]].  The Spartan army was feared for its discipline and ferocity, and was considered the best at the ''[[Hoplite|othismos]]''. Military service was the primary duty of Spartan men, and Spartan society was organized around its army.

Military service for hoplites lasted until the age of 40, and sometimes until 60 years of age, depending on a man's physical ability to perform on the battlefield.

===Macedonia===
{{further|Ancient Macedonian army}}

[[File:Ancient Macedonian soldiers, from the tomb of Agios Athanasios, Greece.jpg|thumb|right|200px|upright|Paintings of [[Ancient Macedonia]]n [[Ancient Macedonian army|soldiers]], arms, and armaments, from the tomb of [[Agios Athanasios, Thessaloniki]] in Greece, 4th century BC]]

Later in the hoplite era, more sophisticated tactics were developed, in particular by the [[Thebes (Greece)|Theban]] general [[Epaminondas]]. These tactics inspired the future king [[Philip&nbsp;II of Macedon]], who was at the time a hostage in Thebes, to develop a new type of infantry, the [[Macedonian phalanx]]. After the Macedonian conquests of the 4th century BC, the hoplite was slowly abandoned in favour of the [[phalangite]], armed in the Macedonian fashion, in the armies of the southern Greek states. Although clearly a development of the hoplite, the Macedonian phalanx was tactically more versatile, especially used in the combined arms tactics favoured by the [[Ancient Macedonian army|Macedonians]]. These forces defeated the last major hoplite army, at the [[Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC)|Battle of Chaeronea]] (338 BC), after which Athens and its allies joined the Macedonian empire.

While [[Alexander the Great|Alexander's]] [[Ancient Macedonian army|army]] mainly fielded ''[[Pezhetairoi]]'' (= Foot Companions) as his main force, his army also included some classic hoplites, either provided by the [[League of Corinth]] or from hired mercenaries. Beside these units, the Macedonians also used the so-called ''[[Hypaspists]]'', an elite force of units possibly originally fighting as hoplites and used to guard the exposed right wing of Alexander's phalanx.

===Hoplite-style warfare outside Greece===

[[File:Etruscan warrior near Viterbe Italy circa 500 BCE.jpg|thumb|upright|left|175px|Etruscan warrior, found near [[Viterbo]], [[Italy]], dated circa 500 BC]]
[[File:Spartan hoplite-1 from Vinkhuijzen.jpg|thumb|200px|Spartan hoplite (image from Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Costume Illustration, before 1910)]]

Hoplite-style warfare was influential, and influenced several other nations in the Mediterranean. Hoplite warfare was the dominant fighting style on much of the [[Italian Peninsula]] until the early 3rd century BC, employed by both the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]] and the [[Early Roman army]], though [[Scutum (shield)|scutum]] infantry had existed for centuries and some groups fielded both. The Romans later standardized their fighting style to a more flexible [[Maniple (military unit)|maniple]] organization, which was more versatile on rough terrain like that of the [[Apennines]]. Roman equipment also changed, trading spears for heavy javelins (''[[pilum]]''). In the end only the ''[[triarii]]'' would keep a long spear (''[[Hasta (spear)|hasta]]'') as their main weapon. The triarii would still fight in a traditional phalanx formation. Though this combination or similar was popular in much of Italy, some continued to fight as hoplites. Mercenaries serving under [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]] or [[Hannibal]] (namely Lucanians) were equipped and fought as hoplites.

[[Ancient Carthage|Early in its history, Ancient Carthage]] also equipped its troops as Greek hoplites, in units such as the [[Sacred Band of Carthage]]. Many Greek hoplite mercenaries fought in foreign armies, such as Carthage and [[Achaemenid Empire]], where it is believed by some that they inspired the formation of the [[Cardaces]]. Some hoplites served under the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] king [[Bardylis]] in the 4th century. The Illyrians were known to import many weapons and tactics from the Greeks.

The [[Diadochi]] imported the Greek phalanx to their kingdoms. Though they mostly fielded Greek citizens or mercenaries, they also armed and drilled local natives as hoplites or rather Macedonian phalanx, like the [[Machimoi]] of the [[Ptolemaic army]].

===Hellenistic period===
{{main|Hellenistic armies}}

The [[Hellenistic armies|Greek armies]] of the [[Hellenistic period]] mostly fielded troops in the fashion of the Macedonian phalanx. Many armies of mainland Greece retained hoplite warfare. Besides classical hoplites Hellenistic nations began to field two new types of hoplites, the ''[[Thureophoroi]]'' and the ''[[Thorakitai]]''. They developed when Greeks adopted the [[Galatia]]n ''[[Thureos]]'' shield, of an oval shape that was similar to the shields of the Romans, but flatter. The Thureophoroi were armed with a long thrusting spear, a short sword and, if needed, javelins. While the Thorakitai were similar to the Thureophoroi, they were more heavily armoured, as their name implies, usually wearing a mail shirt. These troops were used as a link between the light infantry and the phalanx, a form of medium infantry to bridge the gaps.