Editing Hoplite (section)

===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}}