What was an ancient Greek soldier called?

What was an ancient Greek soldier called?

Hoplites
Hoplites were the citizen-soldiers of the Ancient Greek City-states (except Spartans who were professional soldiers). They were primarily armed as spear-men and fought in a phalanx (see below).

What are hoplite soldiers?

Hoplite infantrymen were the military ideal of ancient Greece and were recruited from the wealthy middling ranks of society, particularly the farmers. They wore bronze armor breastplates, helmets, shin guards, shoulder pads, and sometimes foot protectors, thigh guards and forearm guards.

Who became a hoplite soldier?

A hoplite (from ta hopla meaning tool or equipment) was the most common type of heavily armed foot-soldier in ancient Greece from the 7th to 4th centuries BCE, and most ordinary citizens of Greek city-states with sufficient means were expected to equip and make themselves available for the role when necessary.

Why were Greek soldiers called hoplites?

The name “hoplite” comes from their shield which they called the “hoplon.” The hoplites fought in a battle formation called the “phalanx.” In the phalanx, soldiers would stand side by side overlapping their shields to make a wall of protection. Then they would march forward using their spears to attack their opponents.

What’s the definition of a hoplite?

hoplite, heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldier whose function was to fight in close formation.

What was the hoplite revolution?

According to the theory of a hoplite revolution, these new hoplite-level men forced the aristocrats to share political power by threatening to refuse to fight and thereby cripple the community’s military defense.

Why was hoplite important in ancient Greece?

Ancient Greek hoplite soldiers performed an important function in society and they helped shaped the effectiveness of the Ancient Greek armies. They also played a political role because without them, the army would not be effective and would not enable the armies to protect their lands.

What does hoplite mean in history?

What is a hoplite and why is it important?

hoplite, heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldier whose function was to fight in close formation. Until his appearance, probably in the late 8th century bce, individual combat predominated in warfare.

What did the hoplites carry?

The average farmer-peasant hoplite could not afford any armor and typically carried only a shield, a spear, and perhaps a helmet plus a secondary weapon.

Why is hoplite important in history?