Greek to you!

Hello again. Sorry, for not putting up a post in so long but a lot has been happening. Currently I am writing a paper about the battle of Thermopylae, one of the most important battles of the western world. Here is small excerpt of it telling about the equipment used by the Greeks against the Persians  

     The backbone of the Greek army was the heavy infantrymen called a “hoplite”. The hoplite was typically armored with a bronze or leather (lamalar) cuirass that covered both the back and the front. The hoplite also wore a Corinthian helmet that covered the whole head and had small eye holes formed into it.  Lastly, the hoplite had a large round shield called a “hoplon” where their names were derived from.  The hoplon was about three to four feet in diameter, wood, with a bronze layer covering the outside. The most important thing about the hoplon was the Argive grip on the inside. Traditional shields had one handgrip directly in the center but the Argive grip moved the handgrip to the right edge of the shield with a leather strap on the left side that the hoplite could slide his arm through.  This was an extremely important military advance as it allowed greater maneuverability with the shield and a lot more force could be applied to block a blow. In addition, the shield could be thicker to provide more cover with the extra weight resting further up the arm. All of this provided the hoplite with massive protection and a hit to the eye was about the only deadly wound Xerxes archers could inflict

  For armament, the Hoplite carried a seven-foot long spear called a dory. This spear was typically made of ash wood with a bronze or iron tip that was some four inches wide and six to eight inches long. This spear was the hoplites main weapon and he would use it much like an extra-long sword for slashing and stabbing. If his spear broke, he would draw his Korbo a short sword some 24 inches long made of bronze. This sword was designed to deliver a powerful stab to the chest of an opponent killing or at least immobilizing him.

   The Persian light infantry on the other hand wore no armor and carried only wicker shields of woven reeds. For weapons, they carried short swords and javelins (small wooden spears without metal tips). Overall the Persian outnumbered the Greeks but the Greeks out equipped the Persians.

Bear