In a hoplite phalanx you might double the amount of spears shown to an enemy at once by 2. The short duration of hoplite battles was another factor. Battlefield doctors could staunch light wounds, but were pretty helpless in the face of major traumas. TThe Hoplite Phalanx was a special formation of specially-equipped Spartan soldiers known as Hoplites.It changed the way land engagements were fought. From different interpretations of ancient evidence and different ideas on how the phalanx progressed, there are three major theories on the development of hoplite warfare. At the battle of Beneventum a few years later the Romans finally prevailed, with help from Pyrrhus’ elephants which charged back into his own lines. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. (6) Number of guys is the same on both sides. Battles began when one side deployed in battle formation. But generally the casualty rate was relatively low. Hoplite soldiers and the phalanx All our ancient Greece articles Hoplite armor was expensive 4) The Romans had officers, who could make field decisions. However, they are great at countering cavalry. The winning state had proved its prowess and gained plunder, and that was enough. Hoplites often charged over the last stretch of the advance, and that would open up the formation even more, as Thucydides remarked from his own experience. Murray Dahm is a freelance historian and the author of Greek Hoplite vs Persian Warrior for Osprey. 5) The Romans used reserves. 80 Legionaries are also equipped with 1 … And an ordinary peltast must flee like a peasant before a knight once the phalanxes get moving. In the numerous wars of the Successor states the expense of the supporting arms and cavalry, and widespread use of mercenaries, caused the Diadochi to rely on phalanx vs. phalanx tactics. They become stationary but they will hold their own versus 4 times more men and not give in so that the enemy can start dicing at the exposed side of your pike block) or hillmen in shield wall. So when we talk about Hoplites it is the Spatans (so … Test. (1997) "The Othismos, Myths and Heresies: The Nature of Hoplite Battle". Did the Plague of Athens End the City’s Golden Age? Nobody could fight without a shield, and a helmet, and all that. Opponents 100 Hoplites from Ancient Sparta,vs 100 Legionnaires from Ancient Rome 2.Battlefield: Round 1:Marathon Round 2:Roman Fortifications Round 3:Forest Round 4:At Sea(Combatants get full ship crews,and major warships of era.) By the time of Alexander the Great, the phalanx continued to be the bread-and-butter infantry unit for winning battles and became a large part of the formula of Alexander's successes. It does appear to be the case that massacres were more common in battles against foreigners. "It also meant that, in battle, a phalanx would tend to drift to the right (as hoplites sought to remain behind the shield of their neighbour). Neither Philip nor Alexander actually used the phalanx as their arm of choice, but instead used it to hold the enemy in place while their heavy cavalry broke through their ranks. +2 bonus vs cavalry +2 bonus vs elephants Main differences are that hoplite phalanx is more defense oriented while shieldwall is a bit more offensive. The first theory is Gradualism. The other type we are talking about is the Macedon phalanx, a pahlanx where the troops have a small shield slung on their forearm and wield a long pike. This was the way to issue a challenge, and it was generally taken up, for fear of the shame of refusal, which would move a city down the international pecking order almost as surely as an actual defeat. And, after the Persian Wars the practice of dedicating trophies at pan-Hellenic sites to commemorate victories over fellow Greeks died down, possibly by official edict. The second tactic required an extended front, with more space between soldiers and a thinner phalanx, so that it risked being penetrated by its opponents. After the battle, awards were given for individual valour, proving that hoplites were not just cogs in a machine. However, phalanx warfare was not the only form of warfare, and atrocities were more common at sea and after a siege. Phalanxes were regularly deployed eight or more ranks deep. Replaces the Spearman. Hoplite Phalanx. He has written more than 50 articles for magazines such as Ancient Warfare, Medieval Warfare and Ancient History. Each hoplite was responsible for the purchase and upkeep of his own armor, and so membership in the hoplite phalanx was restricted to those who could afford the expense. Terms in this set (5) Hoplite. In a one-on-one they would have been left helpless and exposed with their spear being nearly useless. Huge thanks to Johnny Shumate and his fantastic illustrations! The maniple was fluid, with each maniple led by centurions who were encouraged to take initiative and lead by example. We know that there were a fair few face offs between the hoplites of the various poleis and the phalangites of Philip's and Antipater's armies, but I can't seem to find any references as to how these battles were actually fought. Battlefield casualties are extremely hard to calculate, but, though there were exceptions, they seem rarely to have been horrendous— perhaps about 5 percent, on average, for the winning side and about 15 or 20 percent for the losers. A phalanx favoured level or undulating terrain, and it is noticeable how many hoplite battles came to be fought in places like Boeotia (the plain there was “the dancing- ground of war,” according to Epaminondas of Thebes). Flight made a man vulnerable, and in his heavy armour he could be outrun by light-armed troops or horsemen. As soldiers in the front rank fell, or became too tired to carry on, their places were filled by those behind them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plwBheIPnqk&t=676s, ‘Bravest of Them All’: Lysimachus’ Turbulent Early Years in Thrace, How the Nile River Defeated Alexander the Great’s Top General, How Ptolemy Transformed Egypt Into a Bastion of Strength. Why Was Alexander the Great's Corpse so Important to His Successors? Thermopylae) the Greek spears were never designed to hold up in battle, this is why the Greek's carried short swords. Round 1: Flat terrain. As opposed to the chaotic essence of warfare in the earlier eras, by late 6th century BC, the Greek hoplites were beginning to fight as a part of an ‘institution’ which was drilled in a phalanx formation – where every member looked out for each other; and thus the aspis shield was considered as the most crucial part of a hoplite equipment. By thinning this down to 4 ranks we can get a front ~24 meters wide. At Chaeronea, its said that there was fierce fighting, but how does a man with an 8ft spear get to grips with a man with a big long pike. Naturally, men bunched up in the killing zone for protection, and we hear quite often about phalanxes literally shoving at one another with their shields, but for the first few minutes this was a loose and fluid situation involving single combat or few against few, all the way along the line. How Did Eumenes Defeat The Legendary Craterus? These were the soldiers that defied the might of Persia at Marathon, Thermopylae and Plataea and—more often than not—fought each other in countless battles between the Greek city-states. The first tactic required a deeper phalanx, with a large number of ranks, less space between individual soldiers, and a shorter front, so that it risked being outflanked by its opponents. This article is an edited extract from Robin Waterfield’s latest book Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens: A History of Ancient Greece. Now on the otherhand, trying to make a classical hoplite phalanx with only 100 men is also probably an excercise in futility - even with only 8 ranks of depth you get a very tiny frontage of around ~12 meters or even nearly half that if shields are locked. The troops arranged themselves for battle shoulder to shoulder, usually eight to ten men deep and when the signal was given, they advanced, the front ranks usually stabbing at their opponents with over-arm spear thrusts. And the backbone of these classical Greek armies was the phalanx of heavily armored spearmen, or hoplites. So far 3 popular theories exist: Founded in 2006, Historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events. There were exceptions, but, generally speaking, after the battle both sides returned home; perhaps they would meet again next year, but often the outcome of a single battle determined the outcome of the war. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and other armies. At the battle of Beneventum a few years later the Romans finally prevailed, with help from Pyrrhus’ elephants which charged back into his own lines. How Critical Were Alexander's Allies to His Victories? Conventions that applied in one form of battle were jettisoned elsewhere. The Phalanx is a mobile ballistic, explosion resistant composite screen. Common abilities: Bonus vs Mounted (50) (50% Bonus vs Mounted) Special traits: Extra strength (13 vs. 11) There's not much special about the Hoplite, besides its greater combat strength compared to the ordinary Spearman. Enjoy the article? So, at the end of the charge, hoplites faced their opponents and thrust their spears at them. Their equipment was designed to be most effective in this formation: the center of the large round shield rested at the elbow, meaning that only half of a hoplite’s shield was protecting their body. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Murray lives in Australia.Adam Hook studied graphic … Hoplite. The Greek hoplite phalanx Greek soldiers marching Greek people called a soldier who fought this way a hoplite (HOP-light), and they called a group of soldiers who fought this way a hoplite phalanx (FAY-lanks).A hoplite phalanx was a very strong military formation – but it only worked if all the soldiers were well trained, and if they were all brave enough to hold the line. In a game I play they depict the hoplite as having a rather short spear. Overlapping shields would have impeded them. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the relevant author and Battles of the Ancients with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. A hoplite phalanx was most effective if the soldiers could stay so tightly packed that their shields overlapped their neighbours, so that the enemy would be faced with an impregnable fence of spear points. Of course, battlefield massacres occasionally happened. Pyrrhus won these battles but the maniples put forth a valiant effort and caused heavy casualties. How Close Was Alexander to Conquering Southern Italy? Sure the phalanx was ALMOST unbreakable, from the front. Neither will they survive against elite swordsmen units (And Rome's got plenty of those, especially after the reforms take place). Experienced men were posted in the rear as well as the front, partly so that they could take the brunt of the fighting if the phalanx was outflanked, and partly to prevent cowards on their own side from drifting to the rear as the phalanx advanced. Phalanxes were subdivided into smaller tactical units which, to a certain extent, could act independently to counter developing situations, and this too shows that phalanxes were not always supposed to be tightly cohesive. Flashcards. Write. Do note however, that while you CAN form pikemen in a very thin line with the "phalanx formation" button still active, it drastically makes them weaker. Why the Wars of the Successors IS the Real Game of Thrones, How the Romans Humiliated Jerusalem in the Most Brutal Way Possible. Many hoplites preferred lighter headgear to a heavy bronze helmet. The Spartan Hoplites were the elite. This is why the Greek phalanx kept changing and eventually used what amounted to a pike. 156–178 for a discussion about archaeological evidence for hoplite armour and its eventual transformation, See Lazenby (2004) pp. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. In Legion versus Phalanx Cole weighs the two fighting forces against each other. Hoplites fought in a tightly-packed formation called a phalanx. The Greek hoplite's greatest strength was being part of a disciplined phalanx equipped with a long spear and round shield defending a hoplite adjacent to them. 20 νῶτον ὄπισθ' αἰχμῇ δουρὸς ἐληλάμενος.| [...], See Wees (2004) pp. Most of the losing side’s losses occurred after the phalanx had crumbled and men had turned to flee. Spell. This meant that hoplites had highly coordinated movements, which would be needed for a fighting force of that size. Replaces the Spearman. Hoplites are elite infantry units with a high amount of damage. Even doubling the interval, so that the edges of the shields almost touched, would have made little difference. The Spartan Hoplites were the elite. 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Soldiers: 80 Attack: 16 Missile Attack: N/A Total Defense: 17 Hit Points: 2 Recruitment Cost: 1190 Abilities: Can form phalanx, bonus vs. cavalry, excellent morale, powerful charge, very good stamina, can sap. Why Did Athens Revolt When Alexander the Great Died? It therefore gained enormous prestige. Hoplites were organised into regiments or lokhoi (several hundred men strong), and they fought in ranks eight or more men deep (known as a phalanx), and standing close together, half of the shield of one man protected his neighbour on his left side. Why Polyperchon Is the Unsung Hero of the First Successor War. Forums. In other words (and this is perhaps the most curious point), victory was often not followed up. Lead by Genghis Khan and King Leonidas respectively. Hoplites are elite infantry units with a high amount of damage. The shield of each hoplite, known as a hoplon in Greek, offered protection from the shoulder to the knee, and crucially shielded the spear-side (right-side) of the hoplite to his left. Learn. What Do We Know of the Ninth Legion and Why Did It Disappear? The Hoplite Phalanx. Similar to the ancient hoplite, the Macedonia hoplite differed mainly in a lighter armor load - making him more maneuverable in a battle - while still maintaining a heavy infantry classification. It is unrealistic to expect a combat situation to be so rigid; hand- to- hand combat involves incessant changes, and the successful soldier is the one who is alert to as many of them as possible. It is the weakest of the elite infantry units that are trained at the Academy in the Bronze Age. So the winner was whoever still held the field once the other side had fled, and when the losing commander applied for a truce during which his dead could be collected, that counted as an official admission of defeat and the battle was over. Men did survive terrible wounds, but it was common for infection to set in, guaranteeing a painful, noisome, and lingering death, or for death to follow quickly as a result of shock and loss of blood. While sometimes armies faced each other for days before making a move, and initial deployment and final pursuit might take hours, the actual clash of phalanxes rarely occupied more than a few hours, and might be over in a few minutes if one side panicked early. Despite stating that there is plenty of material for comparison, all he has had to say on this occasion is that the Macedonian style was seen as superior to the Hoplite Phalanx … The phalanx (Ancient Greek: φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, φάλαγγες, phalanges) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. Mongol cavalry charge vs Spartan phalanx. A hoplite phalanx was most effective if the soldiers could stay so tightly packed that their shields overlapped their neighbours, so that the enemy would be faced with an impregnable fence of spear points. From the publisher’s website: Hoplite, the 15th volume in the Great Battles of History series of games, allows players to recreate classic battles from the pre-Alexandrian Persian-Hellenistic Age, the heyday of the Hoplite (heavy infantry fighting in packed formation). Prisoners were as likely to be killed or enslaved as ransomed or released. The Hoplite is an infantry unit in Age of Empires that can be trained at the Academy. Phalanx also is tougher frontally but suffers more from flanking while Shieldwall is not as tough frontally but does not suffer as much when flanked. save hide report. They stood several feet apart from their neighbours, with room to swing a shield. How the Aetolians Resisted a Superpower (Blog #1). Armour was fairly effective, but uncomfortable. But such tight packing— each man would have to occupy forty- five centimetres (eighteen inches)— is impossible to achieve except when immobile in defence. Both sides dealt with their dead, and the winners erected a trophy — typically a stake of wood hung with weaponry taken from the enemy and made to look vaguely humanoid— and performed a victory sacrifice at the point on the field where the enemy first turned (the word for “trophy” being cognate with the word for “turn”). The Romans consist of one Infantry Cohort, 480 men, including the 4 Centurions who command it, who themselves are equipped with scutum shields, 35" Spatha swords and Lorica Squamatae body armor, while the Legionaries are equipped with their traditional 19" Gladius short swords, Scutum shields and Lorica Segementa body armor. Goldsworthy, A. The neck, thighs, and groin were the most vulnerable parts for a hoplite. This was due in part to common sense. Round 2: Phalanx has higher ground. STUDY. Unfortunately there's no ancient account as in depth as the famous Macedonian vs Roman comparison by Polybius. It was the phalanx that allowed Greece to become the dominant power in the Western world. 149–153, in relation to the deprivations of Cyracusian Cavalry and counter-methods, Xenophon (1986) pp. The first thing a fleeing hoplite did was discard his cumbersome shield: hence the famous instruction of a Spartan mother to her son, to return. At any rate, in Sparta they believed that Lycurgus himself had recommended not killing too many fugitives, because then future foes would incline more to flight than fight. Coming from the rigidly military Greek city-state of Sparta itself, they held to the old style of warfare. At that rate, and given that hoplites were liable to call-up until their sixtieth year (though the likelihood decreased the older a man got), the chances of death in battle for any individual were high. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors and/or owner is strictly prohibited. But even 5 percent is a grim number for a class of men who were likely to have to repeat the experience the following summer. Epirus - Ancient Region in Between Civilizations - Albanopedia. Please share or leave a like – it’s only one click!Keep updated on new articles by subscribing below.Better still please leave a comment telling us what you thought. PLAY. . After th… Rated 5.00 out of 5 £ 42.99 42.99 Huge thanks to Oxford University Publishing for offering this extract to Battles of the Ancients! Even though plenty of other kinds of fighting went on— sieges, ambushes, raids, night fighting, amphibious assaults, combined arms— for about a hundred years after the hoplites’ brilliant performance in the Persian Wars, when the Greeks pictured land battle, they thought first of hoplite phalanxes. Phalanx also is tougher frontally but suffers more from flanking while Shieldwall is not as tough frontally but does not suffer as much when flanked. A Greek soldier. May 2013 edited August 2013 in General Discussion. The hoplite panoply weighed about twenty- three kilograms (fifty pounds), and even though few soldiers had the full kit, this was an exhausting form of fighting. I have a question that i can not find a definitive answer to. αἰσχρὸς δ' ἐστὶ νέκυς κατακείμενος ἐν κονίῃσι| The term is particularly used to describe the use of this formation in Ancient Greek warfare, although the ancient Greek writers used it to also describe any massed infantry formation, regardless of its equipment. The hoplites would lock their shields together, and the first few ranks of soldiers would project their spears out over the first rank of shields. Other forms of fighting, mounted or unmounted, that involved long- range weaponry such as arrows, slings, or javelins were considered less glorious. (1999), "Arms and Armour of the Ancient Greeks", Johns Hopkins University Press, This page was last edited on 11 December 2020, at 18:26. The phalanx was much more rigid, but overwhelmingly powerful in a frontal assault. There are several key differences in the formations. Back to the list of units A Greek unique front-line unit. Hoplites and Phalanx. Atrocities did not happen every time— far from it— but they could take place when the attackers felt they had particular reasons for revenge. Tyrtaeus of Sparta sang of the death of an elderly hoplite. See more ideas about ancient warriors, greek warrior, ancient greece. The Hoplite Phalanx. The hellenistic style of warfare was mainly just a big battle line of phalanx. DooDoo Butter Senior Member Registered Users Posts: 345. Hoplite phalanx on the other hand is extremely situational. In the numerous wars of the Successor states the expense of the supporting arms and cavalry, and widespread use of mercenaries, caused the Diadochi to rely on phalanx vs. phalanx tactics. This was not all- out war. A phalanx tried either to punch holes in the opposing phalanx or to outflank it. Zopyrion’s Scythian Expedition: Macedon’s Teutoburg Forest? 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A history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events as hoplites Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License..., but were pretty helpless in the Western world like a peasant before a siege warfare and ancient history particular... Battle was joined Sparta itself, they held to the deprivations of Cyracusian cavalry and counter-methods Xenophon., victory was often not followed up BCE ) was a formation in Greece! On both sides counter-methods, Xenophon ( 1986 ) pp hold up in in! Highly coordinated movements, which would be in play huge thanks to Johnny and!, but overwhelmingly powerful in a hoplite permission from this site’s authors and/or owner is strictly prohibited ) the 's. And exposed with their spear being nearly useless massacres were more common in battles against foreigners hoplites were just... Been left helpless and exposed with their spear being nearly useless warfare was not the only form of battle jettisoned! The famous macedonian vs Roman comparison by Polybius those, especially after the was! Developed, in order to kill, a hoplite phalanx was the primary battle! Are relatively slow and vulnerable to archer fire and conversion 149–153, in to... This meant that hoplites were not just cogs in a tightly-packed formation called a pike duration of hoplite battles another... Of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors and/or owner is prohibited... Rather short spear, after all, this was a special formation of specially-equipped Spartan soldiers known Hoplites.It. €œDark Ages” to the deprivations of Cyracusian cavalry and counter-methods, Xenophon ( 1986 ) pp for! More than 50 articles for magazines such as ancient warfare, Medieval warfare and ancient history one form of were... And historical events Superpower ( blog # 1 ) to stick with the original plan. 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