Osprey Warrior 27 : Greek Hoplite 480-323 BC

The Greek hoplite, the archetypal spear-armed warrior, is perhaps the most prevalent figure in our view of the 'Golden Age' of Ancient Greek civilisation. It was during this period that the state began to take greater responsibility for military organisation, and the arming and equipping of its citizens. From the victory at Marathon over Darius of Persia, through bitter inter-state warfare, to the rise of Philip of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great, the hoplite soldier was in the front-line. This book narrates the life and experiences of the common Greek warrior, how he was recruited, trained and fought, and also looks in detail at how his weapons, armour, shields and helmets developed in the course of time. Text by Nicholas Sekunda with illustrations by Adam Hook.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Arms and Armour
• The Citizen Soldier
• Organisation
• Training
• Motivation
• Mobilising for War
• The Army on the March
• The Hoplite Battle
• Preparation
• Deployment
• The Advance
• The Charge
• Hand-to-hand
• Pursuit
• Aftermath
• Bibliography
• The Plates
• Index