Hoplites were Greek people, many of which were citizens, who fought in battles as their city-states required. Dr Adam Schwartz, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, joins the show to explain this military post in ancient Greek history.
Some topics explored
- What hoplites were
- Who served as hoplites
- The etymology and origin of the term Hoplite
- Some of the early citations of Hoplites or the type of soldier in Greek writings (including literature)
- To what degree its speculated they used horses, and what for
- What phalanx tactic was in battle and why it was important for Hoplites to use
- What rewards, if any, existed for those that participated as Hoplites
- The arms and armour Hoplites used
- Why many of the Hoplites are thought to have been well-off with means
- How Sparta differed in their relationship to Hoplites from other Greek city-states
- If non-citizens such as enslaved people ever served as Hoplites
- Why Hoplites eventually became obsolete
Listen to the episode
The episode can be streamed below and is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
- Professor Swartz is author of the monograph Reinstating the Hoplite: Arms, Armour and Phalanx Fighting in Archaic and Classical Greece (Franz Steiner Verlag)
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