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Military: A Day in the Life of an Ancient Greek

Cavalry At the beginning of the Archaic Period, the most important part of any Greek army was the cavalry. Soldiers had to buy their own horses and weapons, so early armies were dominated by rich men who could afford to do this.

Foot Soldiers In early times, foot soldiers tended to be fairly poor, so their weapons and equipment were poor as well. By the 7^th century, however, there was a new elite class of foot soldiers called hoplites, who were better equipped and trained. Once the hoplites had grown in importance, cavalry units became smaller.

Auxiliaries Poor men who could not afford the full battle kit and weapons of a hoplite soldier usually served instead in lightly armed auxiliary units. These units included archers, stone slingers, and men called psiloi, who were armed with clubs and stones.

Siege Warfare In wartime, a common tactic was to lay siege to a city by surrounding it--even going to the lengths of building walls around it to keep the citizens from their crops. The idea was to starve the city into submission--although it could take months. Another tactic was for the army to try to storm the city and take it by force. They could use a variety of weapons to attack the city walls and kill defending soldiers.

Siege Weapons By about 400 BC, the Greeks were using a heavy wooden beam called a battering ram to smash into walls or gates. This ram, which was named after its bronze ram-shaped head, was attached to ropes inside a wooden covering and was moved back and then forth by a team of men. The attacking army also used siege towers if the city had built protective walls. These were huge wooden structures that could be moved up against the city walls and used as platforms for the armies to attack.

Hoplites

By the 7^th century BC, foot soldiers called hoplites were the elite corps of any Greek army. Hoplites all used similar clothing and weapons, but most armies did not have a special uniform.

To protect his body, a hoplite wore a joined breast and back plate known as a cuirass. Early models were made from two bronze plates, attached with leather straps at the side. Later, hoplites wore a more flexible cuirass. To protect their lower legs, they had bronze leg guards called greaves. Hoplites carried bronze and leather shields about three feet across, and sometimes up to two weapons: a long spear (the height of a very tall man), which was the main weapon, and a short, iron sword.

Rather than battling in one-to-one combat, as warriors had done in earlier times, hoplites fought in an organized formation called a phalanx. This required good discipline, rigorous training and precise coordination.

The phalanx was a long block of soldiers, usually eight ranks deep. If a man was killed or injured, the one behind him would take his place. Each man was protected partially by his own shield and partially by the shied of the soldier on his right. The men on the far right were left partly exposed. Because of this, the right wing of a phalanx was vulnerable. In battle, a general would often try to attack the enemy on this weak side. In attack, a phalanx charged forward so that the full weight of men and shields smashed into the enemy. The two opposing phalanxes would then push against each other until one gave way

Most Important Battles Fought by the Ancient Greeks:

AEGINA-An island between Athens and southern Greece, the site of a naval war between Aegina and Athens in the early 5^th century BC.

AEGOSPOTAMI-A town near the Hellespont in Turkey. In 405 BC, the Athenian navy was virtually wiped out here by the Spartans. It was the last great battle of the Peloponnesian Wars.

CHAERONEA-A town in central Greece, the site of Phillip II of Macedon's decisive victory over the Greek cities in 338 BC.

GAUGAMELA-A town on the east side of the Euphrates river, now in Iraq. Here, in 331 BC, Alexander the Great won his third victory over King Darius III of Persia.

GRANICUS RIVER-A river in northwest Turkey, the scene of Alexander's first victory over the Persians in 334 BC.

HYDASPES-A river in northwest India and the scene of Alexander's battle against the Indians in 326 BC.

ISSUS-A river near the borders of present-day Syria and Turkey. It was the site of Alexander's second victory over the Persians in 333 BC.

LEUCTRA-A town in central Greece, where the Thebans won a victory against the Spartans in 371 BC.

MANTINEA-A town in southern Greece, where the Thebans won a victory over the Spartans in 362 BC

MARATHON-A plain in Attica, northeast of Athens. In 490 BC, the combined armies of the Athenians and their allies, the Plataeans, won a great victory against the Persians.

PLATAEA-A town in Central Greece, the site of a Spartan victory over the Persians in 479 BC.

PYDNA-The site of the battle in 168 BC in which the Romans defeated the Macedonians and took over control of Greece.

RAPHIA-A town in Palestine, the scene of a battle in 217 BC between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies.

SALAMIS-An island just off the coast of Greece, near Athens. In 480 BC, the Greeks won a great naval victory here against the Persians.

THERMOPYLAE-A narrow mountain pass in the east coast of Greece where the Persians won a great victory in 480 BC. King Leonidas of Sparta led his troops in a final brave, but hopeless battle against the Persians.

TROY-The site of nine cities in Asia Minor, each built on the ruins of its predecessor. The seventh was besieged by the Greeks in about 1250 BC, during the Trojan War.

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