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Whom did the Greeks fight?
The Greek states often fought each other. Sparta and Athens fought a long war, called the Peloponnesian War, from 431 to 404 BC. Sparta won. Only the threat of invasion by a foreign enemy made the Greeks forget their quarrels and fight on the same side. Their main enemy was Persia.
The wars against Persia lasted on and off from 490 to 449 BC. The Persian kings tried to conquer Greece and make it part of the Persian Empire. In the end, it was Greece which defeated Persia, when Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire in the 330s BC.
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The Battle of Marathon
The Battle of Marathon was a famous Greek victory against the Persians. About 10,000 Greeks, mostly from Athens, fought an army of 20,000 Persians led by King Darius. The Greeks surprised their enemies by charging downhill straight at the Persians.
Marathon is remembered for the heroism of a Greek named Pheidippides. Before the battle, he'd run for 2 days and nights - over 150 miles (240 km) - from Athens to Sparta to fetch help. Then he fought at Marathon. After the battle, he ran 26 miles (42 km) non-stop to Athens, but died as he gasped out the news of victory. The modern Marathon race is over the same distance as his epic run from Marathon to Athens.
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Fighting in formation
The backbone of the Greek army was the hoplite. He was a foot-soldier, and his weapons were a long spear and a sword. He also had a round shield. Hoplites fought in lines or ranks. Eight to ten ranks made a formation called the phalanx. Each soldier held his long spear underarm. Enemy soldiers saw only a mass of spears and shields, that was hard to break through - and hard to stop once it started moving forward. Lots of phalanxes massed together became like a giant human tank. The Greeks had archers and cavalry, but it was the phalanx that won many famous battles.
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What armour did Greek soldiers wear?
A hoplite had to pay for his armour, unless his father was killed in battle. Then he was given his father's weapons and armour. Rich men had metal armour, shaped to the chest, but others wore cheap armour made of linen cloth. Layers of cloth were glued together, to make a tough, bendy jacket, which could be covered with metal plates.
A Greek soldier carried a big round shield, made of wood and metal. On his legs he wore metal guards, called greaves. On his head he wore a metal helmet, often with a crest on top. The crest was usually made of horsehair, and stuck up to make the soldier look taller and fiercer.
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Greek ships usually carried 20 or more hoplites (soldiers) for deck-fighting.
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If a Spartan soldier was afraid and ran away, he was in disgrace. He had to prove his bravery in the next battle.
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Spartan boys had to train without underwear, and wore just one tunic - winter and summer.
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'At ease', a soldier rested his spear end on the ground and his shield on his thigh. He sometimes did this to show he wasn't scared of an enemy too.
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Army wagons carried shovels, axes and sickles (for harvesting grain, for food).
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On the march and in battle, orders were given by blowing horns and trumpets.
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Body armour was made from linen cloth, in layers glued together to make a stiff shirt. This was lighter and cheaper than metal armour.
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Spartans did not join the other Greeks to fight at Marathon. They stayed at home to take part in a religious festival.
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After a victory, a general gave a shield to a temple to thank the gods. The remains of these victory-shields have been found.
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Greek soldiers sang as they marched into battle, to the music of flutes and trumpets.
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A phalanx soldier carried his shield on his left arm. His shield helped protect the man next to him. Only the soldier on the far right of the line was exposed to the enemy.
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Some of Alexander's Greek soldiers carried very long spears - over 6m/19 ft long!.
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A metal helmet was heavy. A soldier usually pushed it up on top his head, pulling it down over his face before a battle.
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Soldiers carried their food in a bag: usually barley, cheese, salted meat and onions.
More to Explore
Links in the BBC
- A History of the World: Objects from Ancient Greece
- Heroes of Troy
- BBC History: Ancient Greece
- BBC GCSE Bitesize History: Ancient Medicine
Links outside the BBC
bbc.co.uk navigation
BBC links
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