The Decisive Battles of World History

Lecture 3: 479 B.C. Plataea—Greece Wins Freedom

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The Greek Army and Its Technology

x During the 6th century B.C., a military innovation occurred in

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armed and armored foot

soldiers fought in an

organized formation,

carrying a heavy, circular,

concave shield three feet

in diameter and shaped so

the hoplites could nestle

their shoulders and torsos

within the curve.

x The other standard piece

of equipment was a long

stabbing spear equipped

with a bronze spearhead

and a smaller bronze butt-

spike that could function both as an alternate spear point if the main

one broke off and for downward thrusts.

x The hoplite was a formidable opponent, protected from the front

from head to toe in solid armor. Yet the weight of his shield and

armor made him cumbersome, and he was vulnerable to attack from

the sides and behind.

x The solution to this vulnerability was the phalanx: long rows,

several men deep, with their shields close to one another or at

times even overlapping. Fighting as a phalanx, each man in essence

protected his neighbor, and as long as the phalanx kept its cohesion

and no one allowed a gap to open, it was highly effective.

x Some historians believe that the hoplite revolution led to a so-

called “Western way of war” that emphasized well-organized

Hoplite warfare worked best when

each man acted as an identical

and interchangeable cog in the war

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