Epilektoi or chosen hoplites would be the elite and professional, always on call. There are other divisions as well, the most important one of them being their type. Hoplites are divided in Archaic hoplites, Classic hoplites and the last ones Hellenistic hoplites, by the time they were fielded in. "Tactics" or "TAKTIKH" in ancient greek meant the knowledge of how to arrange the hoplites in a "taxis"=order of a phallanx.Ĭatapults were develloped as a way to defend the hoplites from the skirmishers, and especially slingers who could decimate a phallanx and run away before the heavier and slower hoplites could catch up.Įvolution and Classification of the Hoplites Then if that fails retreat behind the shieldwall of the Roman veteran hoplites, the Triarii. Retreat if failing and try again, with more experienced and armored troops, aka the Principes. Romans had their thureos carrying peltasts form into maniples and throw pilae after pilae after pilae, and assault on the most weakend point of the phallanx with Hastati. Another way is to become more agile than the hoplitic phallanx. In a way Sarissa pikes carrying phallanxes are the penultimate evolution of the phallanx, as it can be called hoplitic phallanx evolved. Phillipos' II Macedonians copied Jason of Pherrai, tagos (leader) of Thessaly and his pikemen phallanx. That's how the Macedon Kingdom united Greece. One way to do that would be by being heavier than the hoplitic phallanx. I guess the best tribute to the hoplites is to say that all other heavy infantry formations used at the time, were designed specifically to beat hoplites and their shieldwall phallanx. Carthaginians, Persians, Etruscans and even Romans fielded hoplitic armies themselves at some point. They ruled the battlefield for more than 400 years. That doesn't change the fact however that many greek cities fielded hoplites for as long as they remained independent, or that their reign wasn't long lasting. Rather than being the only heavy infantry, they became one of many types, not too good at anything in particular. Hoplites would soon become the dodo bird of infantry evolution. The obvious reason was that they could be used for both skirmishing, as well as close style fighting. Hoplites could still be used as flank guards, but the use of Thureos' shield armed troops was preferred. Boeotian Koinon turned its hoplites into pikemen in 250 BCE, Sparta in 227, and Achaians in 223, and massively so in 209 BCE. Sarissa pike phalanxes "armed in the Makedonian way" were the norm. Even if historically the last hoplites fought in 146 BCE for the Achaian league, and later on in 86 BCE, in the siege of Athens by Sulla, their era ended for most Hellenic cities in about the time RS begins. The era that RS begins in, sees the twilight of the hoplites. Hoplites mostly used xiphos though or even smaller swordknives as Spartans did after the Persians wars. In that case, the hoplite would use the opposite end, then his sword, either the straight xiphos, or from 500 BCE onwards, the curvy slasher, kopis. The spear would be held overhand, and have two business ends, as more often than not, one of them would break during battle. Heavy infantry, spearmen first and foremost, who would fight in an organized fashion, with each hoplite's shield covering the one in his left, while covered in his right by the shield of his fellow hoplite.
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