Alcibiades was wounded but Socrates single-handedly rescued him and saved his life.ĬONCERNING THE MARRIAGE of Socrates our earliest and best sources, Plato and Xenophon, tell a single tale. During one intense battle, the Athenian lines broke, and their troops began to scatter in retreat. What was the hoplite democracy theory?įrom what we know, it appears Socrates was already viewed as a competent and courageous hoplite. “The agoge aimed to instill soldierly virtues: strength, endurance, solidarity,” as the late Canadian historian Mark Golden wrote. One factor was the agoge, the Greek city-state’s educational and training system, which used harsh, extreme and sometimes cruel methods to prepare boys to be Spartan citizens and soldiers. The formation proved successful in defeating the Persians when employed by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC during the First Greco-Persian War. Hoplites (HOP-lytes) (Ancient Greek: ὁπλίτης) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Shunning personal comfort and able to endure great personal hardship without complaint, he was to make quite a name for himself. Socrates was enlisted as a hoplite, a wealthy and well-equipped infantryman. In 431 BC war broke out between Athens and Sparta – the two superpowers of the Greek world.

They also played a political role because without them, the army would not be effective and would not enable the armies to protect their lands. The word “hoplite” comes from the type of the shield used by the soldiers.Īccording to the theory of a hoplite revolution, these new hoplite-level men forced the aristocrats to share political power by threatening to refuse to fight and thereby cripple the community’s military defense.Īncient Greek hoplite soldiers performed an important function in society and they helped shaped the effectiveness of the Ancient Greek armies. They fought close together in what was called a phalanx formation. What is a hoplite in ancient Greece for kids?Ī hoplite was a citizen-soldier of the Ancient Greek city-states. The armour of a hoplite included: helmet with face covered. In later texts, the term hoplite is used to denote any armoured infantry, regardless of armament or ethnicity. The word “hoplite” comes from the type of the shield used by the soldiers. Until his appearance, probably in the late 8th century bce, individual combat predominated in warfare. Hoplite, heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldier whose function was to fight in close formation. They wore bronze armor breastplates, helmets, shin guards, shoulder pads, and sometimes foot protectors, thigh guards and forearm guards. Hoplite infantrymen were the military ideal of ancient Greece and were recruited from the wealthy middling ranks of society, particularly the farmers. 6 What is the medical definition of the word hospital?.4 What was the hoplite democracy theory?.2 What is a hoplite in ancient Greece for kids?.1 What was a hoplite in ancient Greece?.

Ancient greece hoplite shield