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Warfare in Ancient Greece

• 
  Helmet, late 7th century b.c.; Archaic
  Greek, Cretan
  Bronze

  H. 9 5/8 in. (24.5 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.49-.50)

• 
  Kylix, ca. 540–530 b.c.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Amasis Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta
  

  H. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.62)
  
  Obverse: Poseidon among Greek warriors
  Reverse: stables of Poseidon

• 
  Amphora, ca. 530 b.c.; Archaic; black-figure
  Attributed to the manner of the Lysippides Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta

  H. 16 3/8 in. (41.5 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1956 (56.171.14)

• 
  Fragment of an inscription, Classical, ca. 425–424 b.c.
  Greek, Attic
  Marble

  Overall 5 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. (13 x 17.1 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1926 (26.60.5)

• 
  Front of a cuirass, 4th century b.c.
  Greek, Apulian
  Bronze

  H. 19 5/8 in. (50 cm)
  Gift of Estée Lauder, 1992 (1992.180.3a)

• 
  Funerary slab with a soldier, Hellenistic, second half of 3rd century b.c.
  Greek; from the Soldiers' Tomb, Ibrahimieh necropolis, Alexandria, excavated 1884
  Painted inscription: "[B]itos, son of Lostoiex, a Galatian"
  Limestone, paint

  H. 15 in. (38.1 cm)
  Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904 (04.17.5)

• 
  Funerary slab with a soldier taking a kantharos from his attendant, Hellenistic, second half of 3rd century b.c.
  Greek; from the Soldiers' Tomb, Ibrahimieh necropolis, Alexandria, excavated 1884
  Painted inscription: "-attos, a Galatian"
  Limestone, paint

  H. 14 13/16 in. (37.6 cm)
  Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904 (04.17.6)

• 
  Funerary slab with a soldier and two girls, Hellenistic, second half of 3rd century b.c.
  Greek; from the Soldiers' Tomb, Ibrahimieh necropolis, Alexandria, excavated 1884
  Remains of a painted inscription: "Isidoros, a Galatian"
  Limestone, paint

  H. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)
  Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904 (04.17.4)

• 
  Statue of a wounded warrior, ca. 138–81 a.d.; Antonine
  Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue, ca. 460–450 b.c.
  Marble

  H. 87 in. (220.98 cm)
  Hewitt Fund, 1925 (25.116)

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As the economic resources of Greek city-states and individuals increased during the seventh century B.C., armies of foot soldiers were formed within the wealthier city-states. Known as hoplites, these soldiers were characteristically equipped with about seventy pounds of armor, most of which was made of bronze. The typical panoply included an eight- to ten-foot thrusting spear with an iron tip and butt, and bronze armor consisting of a helmet, cuirass (chest armor), greaves (shin guards), and a large shield about thirty inches in diameter. The heavy bronze shield, which was secured on the left arm and hand by a metal band on its inner rim, was the most important part of a hoplite's panoply, as it was his chief defense.

Soldiers were characteristically equipped with about seventy pounds of armor, most of which was made of bronze.

Related

Timelines (1)

• Ancient Greece, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.

Primary Thematic Essays (2)

• Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece
• Scenes of Everyday Life in Ancient Greece

Other Thematic Essays (22)

• Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels
• Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
• Athenian Vase Painting: Black– and Red–Figure Technique
• Athletics in Ancient Greece
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Classical Cyprus (ca. 480–ca. 310 b.c.)
• The Decoration of Arms and Armor
• The Decoration of European Armor
• Funerary Vases in Southern Italy and Sicily
• Geometric and Archaic Cyprus
• Geometric Art in Ancient Greece
• Greek Art in the Archaic Period
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• Mycenaean Civilization
• Painted Funerary Monuments from Hellenistic Alexandria
• Poets, Lovers, and Heroes in Italian Mythological Prints
• The Symposium in Ancient Greece
• The Technique of Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece
• Techniques of Decoration on Arms and Armor
• Theseus, Hero of Athens
• Time of Day on Painted Athenian Vases

Maps (2)

• Europe, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• World, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Index Terms (12)

Art Movement/Style

• Archaic Period in Greek Art
• Attic Style in Greek Art
• Classical Period in Greek Art

Artist

• Darius Painter (Greek, active ca. 340–330 B.C.)
• Hunt Painter (Greek, active 565–530 B.C.)
• Lysippides Painter (Greek, active ca. 530–510 B.C.)

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula

Object

• Body Armor
• Helmet

Subject Matter/Theme

• Military in Europe
• Warfare
• Warrior

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In nearly every medium of Attic art of the sixth century B.C., the hoplite and warfare feature prominently, as military service was a primary distinction of citizenship—a mark of status and often of wealth, as well as a means of attaining glory. Furthermore, the initiatives taken during the latter part of the sixth century to standardize the Homeric epics in written form fostered a broader interest in heroic subject matter. In Athens, military service was determined by a citizen's social and economic position. In the early sixth century B.C., the archon Solon instituted four classes defined by income and gave each class a proportionate measure of political responsibility. The second wealthiest class, the hippeis ("horsemen"), earned enough from their land to maintain a horse and so fought as cavalry; the third wealthiest group, the zeugitai, were able to afford the equipment of a hoplite; the wealthiest class, the pentakosiomedimnoi ("five-hundred-bushel men"), supplied the leaders for the armed forces; and the poorest class, the thetes, were hired laborers who served as oarsmen in the Athenian fleet, or as archers and light-armed men on land.

Backed up by archers and light-armed troops, the hoplite phalanx remained the most important fighting unit for centuries. They advanced in close formation while protected by their overlapping shields. A successful battle often consisted of one phalanx, hundreds of men across and eight or more warriors deep, pushing against an enemy's phalanx until one or the other broke formation, exposing its hoplites to danger and death.

Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Greek and Roman Art. "Warfare in Ancient Greece". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gwar/hd_gwar.htm (October 2000) Further Reading Everson, Tim. Warfare in Ancient Greece: Arms and Armour from the Heroes of Homer to Alexander the Great. Stroud: Sutton, 2004. Hornblower, Simon, and Antony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3d ed., rev. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Norris, Michael. Greek Art from Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Related exhibitions and online features Other Online Features Greek Art from Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Moore, Mary B. "Hoplites, Horses, and a Comic Chorus." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 41 (2006). Cook, B. F. "Footwork in Ancient Greek Swordsmanship." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989). JSTOR | PDF Nickel, Helmut. "The Emperor's New Saddle Cloth: The Ephippium of the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich. "Armorial Adjuncts." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 24 (1989). JSTOR | PDF Moore, Mary B. "A New Hydria by the Antimenes Painter." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 18 (1983). JSTOR | PDF Mertens, Joan R. "An Attic Black-Figure Vase of the Mid-Sixth Century B.C." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 18 (1983). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich. "Greek Vase Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 31, no. 1 (Fall, 1972). JSTOR | PDFs "Director's Note" PDF "Greek Vase Painting" PDF "Greek Vase Painting: An Introduction" PDF Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta. "The Department of Greek and Roman art: Triumphs and Tribulations." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 3 (1970). JSTOR | PDF Scherer, Margaret R. "Helen of Troy." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 25, no. 10 (June, 1967). JSTOR | PDF Von Bothmer, Dietrich. "Greek Vases from the Hearst Collection." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 15, no. 7 (March, 1957) JSTOR | PDF