Roman Greek
Ancient Greek and Roman Weaponry
Ancient civilizations fought battles head on and in close quarters in the battlefield. Such battles are often romanticized in popular media including movies, graphic novels, and books, among others. Although current depictions have become more and more accurate, the exact brutality and violence affected by opposing camps to each other can only really be known by the participants themselves.
The best known and probably well recorded wars in ancient western civilizations were those fought by the Greeks and the Romans. Considered as the zenith of civilization at the time, with a developed government system, the Greeks were actually divided city-states that waged war amongst themselves. The Homeric poems bring to mind symbols of ancient Greece, in the case of war the best known is the Trojan helmet. The Greeks employed Hoplites, who are citizen-soldiers that were summoned when their state was at war. Hoplites receive military training ran by their city-states, and were responsible for securing their own weapons and armor.
Meanwhile, the success of the Greeks in warfare is accountable to the “Phalanx” formation they used. The Hoplite wore bronze breastplates as body armor, and helmets of various designs, the most recognized of which is the Trojan helmet. They also carried shields for protection as well as to smash the spear of the opposition. Their primary weapon was the spear or the “dory” which ranged in length from seven to nine feet long. In case the spear was broken or lost in battle, or if the phalanx broke ranks, the hoplite carried the “xiphos” or short sword. Unfortunately, because they had professions, large-scale military movements were unsustainable as they had to return to their cities to perform their professions. Large military operations were only possible if city-states pooled their resources. This was soon necessary when the ancient Greeks were confronted with invading powers from the outside.
The Romans, on the other hand, were the masters of empire, with a military power consisting of full-time soldiers affected by Augustus’ rise to power and creation of a career military. Early Roman weaponry was based on Greek and Etruscan design, and was later standardized to maintain uniformity among the ranks. Although their military success is attributed to superior weaponry, some historians argue that this is not so. They argue that the main reason why ancient Romans succeeded in war is due to their development of strategies and instilling discipline among the ranks and their ability to wage long campaigns that also effectively stretched their military reach.
The base of this military power was the Roman infantry. Their armor comprised helmets, coats of mail, greaves, and Roman shields called “scutum.” They carried different swords such as the “spatha” or broadsword, the “gladius major” or long sword, and the famous “gladius” or short sword.
Warfare imagery from these ancient civilizations is well known, with the Trojan helmet easily associated with the Greeks. The Roman shields are known if only to associate it with the vast reach of the Roman Empire. Their efficacy in the field transformed these civilizations and allowed them to reach the heights that elevated their societies.
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