How did the Ancient Greeks fight? (1 Viewer)

[MikeNick]

Ancient Greek history is divided between hellenic and hellenistic. The supremacy of Alexander the Great and his father Philip II marked the end of hellenic Greece and brought about hellenistic Greece.

I have a question regarding an accurate portrayal of how the ancient Greeks fought prior to Alexander the Great and his long-speared phalanx. Did the Greeks, especially the Spartans, fight primarily with swords or with short spears? I have a feeling that they locked shields and used spears to attack over the top and at the head and throats of their enemies. Am I correct?

Speaking of Spartans, did they go to battle wearing their red cloaks?

Lastly, which company makes the most realistic depiction of ancient, pre-Alexandrian Greeks in combat?

Cheers,
MikeNick

 

[nysoldiers]

At the time around the battle of Marathon (490BC) the Greeks used a phalanx style formation with the shorter spear. When closing with the enemy both swords and spears were used in close combat.
In my opinion one of the best makers for this "pre-Alexander"period was East of India but they stopped producing several years ago. They produced a Greek phalanx series along with Persians and allies.
They are now very hard to find and getting rather expensive but you will find some on eBay from time to time.
There are many good books on Greek and ancient warfare.

 

[nysoldiers]

conte also made Spartans and Persians based on the movie "300".

 

[lancer]

The Spartans and Greeks of the classical Marathon era did fight in phalanx formation with the short spear being the main weapon. The short sword was used only after the spear was lost or broken. A superb book on the subject is Victor Davis Hanson's "The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece", done in 1989 and still readily available. It is a ground breaking work, very well written, easy to read, and will answer all your questions. While not the only work available, it is one of the best and well worth the few bucks it will cost. -- Al

 

[MikeNick]

Thanks for the replies.

I am still wondering about the Spartans. Conte has them all wearing cloaks in battle. Is that an accurate depiction?

Also, did the Spartans have the same shields?

MikeNick

 

[lancer]

Thanks for the replies.

I am still wondering about the Spartans. Conte has them all wearing cloaks in battle. Is that an accurate depiction?

Also, did the Spartans have the same shields?

MikeNick

I can't speak to cloak question for sure, but it seems unlikely the cloaks would be worn in battle as they would impede freedom of movement but I just don't remember reading anything specific. I will see if I can find out. The shields used by the Spartans was the same basic shield used in the classical period by all Greek states. It was know as the Hoplon (thus the term Hoplite for Greek infantry). It was about 3 feet in diameter, was made of wood, and weighed around 16 lbs. The face of the shield was probably covered in a thin sheet of bronze which often had a distinctive symbol/face worked on it. The shield face could be polished to a high shine so as to dazzle the enemy or maybe impress/frighten the enemy. The shield was a very difficult piece of equipment to master as it was heavy and awkward. As to the Spartan shield markings, the Llamda, there is no real proof that any or all shields carried this emblem, although it is possible that it was used. Spartan reputation was such that the enemy would have known who they were facing, shield emblem or not. The Spartan discipline in formation, their slow, steady, silent advance to pipes, all identified them to their opponents. -- Al

 

[lancer]

A quick check of what sources I have seems to confirm that the Spartans did NOT normally wear the cloak in battle. It was normally worn off-duty and in peacetime. The Spartan cloak, the Himation, was dyed a crimson color, like most Spartan clothing and became identified with the Spartan hoplites. The hoplites wore a crimson tunic into battle and it was this color that became identified with Sparta and became the major identification factor for their troops (and this ID let their enemy know who they were facing) before crimson became more widely worn in Greece in imitation of Sparta. -- Al

 

[lancer]

There are a couple of more book suggestions for the Spartan Army of classical Greece. 2 Osprey titles by Nick Sekunda, Warrior #27; Greek Hoplite 480-323 BC and Elite Series #66; The Spartan Army. Both are good brief studies and available/affordable. The other book is by J.F. Lazenby and is quite difficult to find. It is the holy grail for Spartan army enthusiasts. "The Spartan Army", published in 1985 by Aris & Phillips, it is very rare and VERY expensive, and was only done in softcover, to my knowledge. It is the single best book on the subject of the Spartan army in the classical period. It is a very well written and scholarly book of 210 pgs, with some illustrations, maps, and charts. At least find yourself the 2 Osprey books and the Hanson book I mentioned in the earlier post. You won't be disappointed. -- Al

 

[strategosathena]

try here.....http://www.koryvantes.org/koryvantes/

 

[lancer]

try here.....http://www.koryvantes.org/koryvantes/

Thanks for posting this. I found it very interesting, especially the works regarding the shield types and shield devices. The study states that the Llamda shield device for Sparta appeared late in the Peloponnesian War, which means that the Spartans during the Greco-Persian Wars would not have had the Llamda, but rather devices that would have been based on areas of recruitment, actually a kind of battalion marking. A very useful bit of info. -- Al