Hoplite - The most powerful army in Greek history

Hoplite is one of the legendary armies in ancient history with glorious victories. With the powerful armies of Phalanx, methodical tactics and sharp weapons, Hoplite became the terror of any enemy.

The origin of the Hoplite army

Hoplite is one of the earliest, most influential and established armies in history. The word ' Hoplite ' means ' Armor bearer ', used to describe their appearance with armor and shields. Many historians believe that they appeared around the 7th century - VIII BC.

During this period, Greece faced the uprising of independent cities with their own government and culture. Conflicts and competition between cities are becoming increasingly fierce to compete for power and influence among regions. To reunite Greece, Hoplite army was established.

Hoplite army

Although the Hoplite army was originally founded to stabilize the country. However, they resonated in the battle between Athens and Sparta or when the Persian army invaded Greece. Although less than the Persian army in numbers, with the strategy of using the phalanx formation, the Hoplite army defeated the unwarranted and unorganized Persians.

The soldiers in the Hoplite army come from different cities in Greece. They often have to buy and upgrade their weapons, so most of them are middle or upper class in society. They have undergone training but only fought when called. The rest of the time they lived normally and participated in increased production because disputes between cities were short and time consuming.

Invincible tactics

The most famous tactic of Hoplite army is the Phalanx wing squad . Although this formation was used very often by previous troops, it was especially effective for Hoplite. This is a rectangular formation, the top soldiers will raise a sharp spear to create a wall that cannot penetrate. In addition, each soldier will carry the Hoplon shield on his left chest to protect the heart and right side of the soldiers next to him. It is this factor that makes them almost invincible when attacking directly from the front. Enemies cannot attack them directly nor can they launch from a distance due to the very strong shield system.

Lineup of Phalanx

Phalanx lineup usually has 8 rows, about 300m long. The first four rows will preach ahead, the following rows will raise the spear upwards to create a protective hedge-style fence. This fence effectively protects high attacks by name and TB. Since the back row warriors cannot fight the enemy because their spears are not brought forward, their mission is to push the front rowers to join the battle and replace them when they die.

Hoplite's weakness

The biggest weakness of the Phalanx squad was the gap on the side and behind the formation. Because the entire spear and shield were concentrated in the front, the army was almost helpless when attacked by the side. Moreover, because they were always confined to the formation to shield each other, they were often defeated by fast and flexible guerrilla troops on many sides. Battle terrain is also a big problem as they only work when fighting on wide and flat terrain. Otherwise their armor walls will break and reveal many attack holes.

Train

Typical Hoplite Warrior

The might of the Hoplite army lies in strict disciplinary training . The warriors must learn to fight together and not to leave their positions. If one of the first 3 rows has someone leaving the team then the whole team will be easily attacked. Similarly, when the previous soldier is sacrificed and cannot be replaced in time by the latter, the army will disintegrate.

Combat weapons

The spear and shield are the two main weapons of the Hoplite army. The spear is about 3m long and depending on the strategy will be raised in front or above the formation. Round shields are always held on the left to protect themselves and their allies. Each warrior is also equipped with a small sword to finish off the wounded enemy after the battle.

Hoplite's armor is made of copper and has a shiny golden color. They are equipped with both rear armor, leg protector and helmet. Each soldier also has a red cloak behind. However, they often do not wear protective gear when fighting because they are quite heavy.

Victory

Roman legion army

Hoplite's most outstanding feat was to defeat the Persian army, prevent the Persian empire from invading Europe. This battle is called Marathon .

The famous battle took place in the autumn of 490 BC during the First Persian Invasion of Persia. This was a battle between the Athenian army, supported by Plataea, and the Persian army led by Datis and Artaphernes.

Compared to 72,000 Persian troops, 11,000 Greek troops in this battle have only one principle "it is better to die of freedom than to live in slavery."

Athens infantry divided into heavy infantry and light infantry fighting in formation phalanx. Although there are still many disadvantages, but this formation is capable of strong defense and has strong attack power, but can only be used on flat terrain.

Image of creating a Marathon battle

Heavy infantry is the core of the ancient Greek army. Although there are weaknesses and limitations, but the Athens army thanks to the tactics and good squad won a resounding victory.

This is a typical battle that has a significant meaning in the war against the invaders of the ancient Greeks.

The image of a warrior running a distance of 42 km, crossing the mountain forest from the place of the fierce battle to Athens to announce the victory of the battle became typical of the spirit of the Marathon running today.

After this victory, neighboring European countries also learned their effective strategy.

The Macedonian army and the Roman army all followed and improved the Phalanx formation of the Hoplite army. The Macedonian army often doubled the length of the spear, while the Romans turned the Phalanx formation into a powerful Legion army. Although unlike the Hoptile, the Roman squad retains some basic rules such as a rectangular team, using shields to protect and fight collectively to chase off the enemy. In this way, the Greeks successfully built the battle strategy of all ancient Europe, leading to the glorious victory of both Macedonian and Roman troops.