Hoplite: The Remarkable Citizen-Soldier of Ancient Greece

The Greek word for military equipment roughly translates to hopla, and thus a hoplite simply meant ‘man at arms’ or ‘armored man’. Of course, unlike the man-at-arms of the late medieval period, the hoplite was first and foremost a citizen-soldier. So the hoplite soldier was expected to take part in battles to safeguard his own interests and holdings, as opposed to viewing the military as a well-paying career.

And while the ‘classic’ well-armored and trained Greek soldier was ultimately eclipsed by the more tactical Macedonian phalanx in the late 4th century BC, Greek hoplites (and their predecessors) had dominated the European battlefields for almost three centuries before that. So without further ado, let us check out some incredible historical insights you should know about the ancient Classical Greek hoplites (circa 5th – 4th century BC).