Amour and Weapons
Greek cities spent a lot of their time fighting each other: There were a large number of cities in Greece, each of which needed to defend itself from its neighbours. This meant that cities often had to go to war to protect themselves. Greek cities did not have armies of full-time soldiers. Instead, all men in the city had to fight in the army, and had to pay for all their own armour and weapons.
The greek poet homer desecribes battles in the trojon war. Greek and trojan heroes fought each other in chariots, and their servants and the ordinary soldiers fought on foot.
This piece of Mycenaen pottery had picture of a charioteer. These weapons might have been like those used in the trojan war. The sword blade has a short blade and spike so that it could be fitted onto a hand-grip. The spear head could be fitted onto a wooden shaft.
Later on, greeks fought in a very different way. Soldiers now fought in a strict battle line, standing in rows. They wore heavy armour which protected them very well then fought as a group, but not if they were split up. They were called "hoplites" after the shields they carried (called a "hoplon").
Denfinitions List
- Amour:
- Covering worn to protect the body againts weapons.
- Chariots:
- An open cart with two wheels, drawn by horses.