Armour of the Ancient Greek Hoplite // In-depth overview of the Linothorax, aspis, helmets, + more!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This clip is a segment of the upcoming documentary 'Go Tell the Spartans," coming out soon!
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IMPORTANT: This video is a segment from an up-coming documentary which was filmed ON SITE at Thermopylae. Please stay tuned for the full documentary releasing in a few weeks (hopefully!)
Reminds me of old school documentaries, I like that you don’t make many definitive statements and emphasise that we simply don’t know a lot of things still. Didn’t know about the leather or beads on the crests before; so that’s cool! Great video would love to see more in this style of presentation.
Thank you very much, i greatly appreciate that! I plan on doing more unscripted videos like this!
As a non-British viewer who hasn't heard many of these equipment names before, it would be helpful to have the names displayed on screen while you are discussing them (or maybe as subtitles). Great video!
21:07 That is correct.
The Oxford dictionary defines " 'οπλον" as weapon.
So Hoplites where men at arms.
As always an excellent video! I'm glad you shed light on the importance of a helmet and greaves over torso armor. While the torso armor is inherently more sexy it's usefulness can be debated thanks to such a big shield and organized fighting formations vs guarding them shinbones
Excellent! I was in the mood for refreshing on Greek armor!
Really high quality content. Hope to see the channel blow up in followers/subscribers!
@@SuperMrHiggins thanks so much! Appreciate that a lot
Great video! Perhaps should have included information regarding the materials used in construction of the aspis.
@@bordgard1 thank you! Yes, there is certainly a lot to talk about! Perhaps a dedicated video
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Yes, one can’t realistically cover everything in one video.
The quality of your channel is steadility increasing ! Keep it up, hope to see more videos of this type in the future
@@Piloulegrand thanks very much!
Just as an afterthought, a "Kopis" is a Greek Falcata, and a "Falcata" is a Spanish Kopis. I bought a polypropylene training Falcata about a year ago, and it's a very good thrusting blade- the forward curve of the blade puts the point very close to the central line of force in a thrust, much like a modern fencing "pistol-hilt" does. But for close-in, when the shields clash., (I'm a firm believer in Othismos), I'd take a lacedaemonian "little hand weapon", (encheiridion) any day.
@@FelixstoweFoamForge i originally thought the name was interchangeable, however others on the IHOP group have actually convinced me that they are different blades, though very similar. I agree though, i do like the xiphos more!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History I see the point. But it's very subjective. Especially given that they were most likely made by individual smiths to meet regional needs and fashions. It's possible a smith in Corinth, say, made a Kopis with a blade nearly identical to a Falcata made in Spain, and vice versa. It's not as if it's the late Roman Empire with centralised arms factories working to a pattern. Easy to imagine a guy called Kaildromos going around the Agora and saying: "I like that sword, but I want one with a longer point". It's a bit like our desire to put helmets into classification categories- to most Hoplites, it just a "Kratos".
@@FelixstoweFoamForge absolutely
@@jansobieski3 the gladius and xiphos are completely different though. From blade size, shape, and handle and pommel
@@jansobieski3 I think "machaira" is the most fitting word for "sword". Polybius call the gladius "iberike machaira" when writing about it.
Good video!
For the viewers, 15:00 This IS a Falcata. :)
Excellent video! Thanks!
@@artawhirler thank you!
i always wondered if the internal rope on the shield operated on the same principal as athenian hypozomata. they used a flexible cable straight down the middle of the ship to brace the ship against being rammed.
Im not necessarily sold on the idea of it being a strength thing to be quite honest, after using this type of shield for years, i have never felt that it has aided in that way before, or that it needs to
Υπέροχη κατασκευή και κατάρτιση ❤
Thank you!
Great vid!
@@jeffhogan3433 thanks so much!
Where did you get that archaic Corinthian helmet? Man that is gorgeous! Another great video Leonidas from sparta keep it up!
@@nikolaspanzella2584 thank you! I worked with Genius Steel Crafts to base it somewhat on ths Marathon helmet held in the royal ontario museum!
I really enjoyed christian camerons log war series, so it was great to actually see for the first time all the arms and armour he depicted. I think it really helped the books that he's a reinactor and has used the gear himself.
Also I definitely got a fixation on the Greek kopis. First time I noticed them in a movie, I could not stop thinking about them when I wrote my more Greek-themed stories. 😻😻
Where do you get these helmets and crest from?
Your videos alone are giving me a growing interest in Geek historical armour. Keep up the great content.
@@wem4a1 thank you! The illyrian and archaic Corinthian are from Genius Steel Crafts. I made the crests. The transverse crested Corinthian is from Historical Recreation Art. You can get in contact with them on facebook. They are slow to respond on their web page
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Awesome! Thanks a lot 😀
@@wem4a1 no problem!!! Any other questions just let me know 😊
Your knowledge and enthusiasm combine to make this an informative and entertaining video,well done!
@@christopherfranklin972 thanks!!
Very informative! I know you've made the Aspis and the linothorax yourself but I wonder who made those helmets and the swords. Are there any vendors you can recommend for someone who wants to buy their kit for ancient Greek reenactment?
Thank you! Yes, the transverse crested Corinthian is from Historical Recreation Art, the archaic Corinthian and Illyrian are from Genius Steel Crafts. You can get in contact with them on Facebook! Another choice is Lyba Steel Crafts. Now, these are all good choices and good to medium price range. You can also check out Res Bellica's catalogue! They have swords, the one i have is actually made by deepeeka
solid stuff
This video is interesting thanks for the info
@@Pogonip thanks for watching!
Thracian helmet is my favorite.
Do know of any 'evidence' in regards to the perception of oxidization on the armor?
For instance, would the presence of oxidation be acceptable or heavily frowned upon?
Great video by the way.
@@m-h1217 great question, not any evidence that i know of. I doubt it, there wasnt really a standardized look or regulation. Did you have a spear and shield? great. armour? Even better
How thick wood planks/slats to stop arrow/sword/battleaxe? 1 cm?
We see varying thickness. And usually not just wood, we see linen, leather, bronze, all layered over it to, in combination, protect the wielder. Through tests they dont necessary stop it completely, they poke through slightly, but not enough to hit the wearer. Shields were likely a disposable industry, meant to survive one or a few battles
I saw this On my TV so I could not comment I really hope I can see you in your new gear in the pleata and the documentary
You will!! The panoply is in a bit of a weird spot as its kinda transitioning styles at the mo, though i am still very happy with it!
Have you tried a high underhand grip with the dory? Like above the head? It's a little weird on the wrist and shoulder at first but to me it seems much more effective than an overhand grip or a hip height underhand grip. Though I think all 3 grips have their uses in certain situations.
From experience that style leaves you the most exposed and is quite awkward to keep up. We also see standard overhand overwhelmingly depicted in period sources
New subscriber 🎉
You have a wonderful kit, one question though didn't Thracians have a diffrent style of sword from the two you have?
Forgive me for forgetting the Greek name but it was very similar to the Dacian Falx sword.
Thank you! The thracians might have used a different style, maybe a cavalry sword? To be quite honest im not sure! Will have to investigate!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Awesome I hope you find even more info, if any thing it's an excuse to look into thr Thracians again.
What always made me wonder: why was the linothorax not used after the antiquity? it seems like a very easy to make and fairly sturdy but light piece of kit.
I sort of touch on this in the video, but the Linothorax was used for over 600 years, and the tube and yoke design didnt really go anywhere. Many roman age armours are of a tube and yoke design, and even modern kevlar fests are somewhat like them. So i wouldn't say disappears, more adapts to the armour of the time
'When you have a guy tightly pressed behind you, you need that back end up.'
Oh my, that can certainly sound like something else 🙉🙉🙉
I look forward to seeing your hybrid tube and yoke, enough leather, linen, and 6% tin bronze for a couple of armours arived today.
Thank you! Thats awesome, keep me updated on all the stuff Jay!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History I'll DM you pics when I start making good progress
A bit of an off-topic question but do we know if 1 hoplite always had the same rank in the phalanx, like rear or front, or were they just thrown into a new place every battle?
@@dannygo500 we have no idea unfortunately. Really nothing survives with this information. I would probably say no, because they wouldnt always be fighting with the same phalanx
what is the crest box constructed of?
@@cal2127 the two i explain in the video are leather (the checker one) and wood (the triangles.) The leather one is essentially a weaved construction, with the black leather weaving through slits in the box to tightly secure the horsehair which is bent into a 'U' shape. This creates the checker pattern commonly seen. The other one is simply a wooden box with drilled holes, with haid glued inside in sma bundles
where is the silver arsenic bronze? its always left out.
Thank you very much for this informative video !! 😊
@@nazarnovitsky9868 no problem! Thanks for watching!!
I am a little disappointed that no mention was made of the banner like cloth that was sometimes hung from the bottom of the aspis to catch arrows.
I know they weren't very common, at least commonly attested anyway, but I think they look awesome.
My brother and I carried out tests with those years ago. We found they worked very well right up to close range, about 25 metres.
We didn't test them any closer.
@@Useaname I figured they would, but it is surprising how little they show up in art considering their probable effectiveness.
Were they still not used very much regardless?
Also, what sort of cloth did you use, can you remember? was it heavy like canvas or was it just a repurposed t-shirt?
@@darrylviljoen6227 we used a goat skin. And we tried heavy coarse weave linen. The linen performed better as it hung looser and therefore absorbed the impact of the arrow more. We also tried sling stones and the goat skin was better against those.
@@Useaname makes sense.
That's very interesting, and thanks for sharing I really appreciate it.
Out of wild curiosity, can you remember how far back the arrow pushed back the cloth? Do you think it would be possible to hang the cloth off the front of the shield before it starts to curve and the leather off the rim?
@@darrylviljoen6227 the shield was hung from a full size mannequin. There were no marks on the mannequin legs after testing so we assumed there were no impacts from the arrows or sling stones. We hung the material from inside the shield rim as that's where there were fixing points. We didn't test it hanging off the rim or off the outside rim. I'm guessing if it was hung from the outside rim with no gaps it might fare better in testing, as regards to how far back the material is pushed. The gap between the material and the mannequin legs was about 6 inches, that's with the shield held close to the body, which would equate to locked formation in reality. In locked formation there's always a desire to push one foot forward a bit beyond the shield to give purchase. However there's a risk that arrows would land on the foot, as my brother would point out. Bear in mind these weren't rigid rests. We didn't cover every scenario. It was really his desire to see how effective the curtain was. And it seemed to work well, depending on the material used in relation to either arrows or sling stones. Hope it helps. One day I'll recreate the experiments and video the results. But I'm sure other people have, somewhere.
I really do love those javelins
Question: Are they javelins? 😅❤️
The two little spears? Yeah, they are javelins
Молодец! Очень красивые шлемы и кирасы. Весь комплект вооружения очень качественно сделан.
Thank you!
A purpose of the crest was to assist in lessening the force of the impact of a sword or missle blow
to the head.
@@jerrygarner that is a possibility as well, although we can't say for sure unfortunately. We have never tested it and we dont actually fully know the construction method(s). But it would make sense
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Thank you for your reply.
@@jerrygarner no problem 😊
23:17 . . . soldiers carry loads of stuff, in modern times we would call those ropes webbing, webbing for carrying lots of soldiery things from camp to camp and of course onto the next battlefield (if you were lucky I guess).
Its certainly possible to carry all of your kit, heck, we've done an over 3 hour treck at Plataea tracing the steps of the Spartan night march, however, many of these hoplites had slaves which would of surely carried much of it!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Maybe they even took their families part way to war.
I ❤ corinthyas helmet
I got a replica at home. 😊
Good work sir?
@@FelixstoweFoamForge thank you!
When will you drop the video of you showing us how to apply the crest onto the helmet because mine is coming in soon and I don’t wanna mess it up 😂
@@visor4021 i can make a short about it. Its just glued with silicon
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History that would be perfect
An interesting and clear presentation, thank you. Looking forward to more.
@@britinmadrid appreciate that, thank you!
New mod for Imperator (Paradox) game called Hegemony which is about the Athens v Sparta war.
So the full documentary will contain this video in it's entirety plus more content? Thanks
@@Jim58223 yessir! This is just the section going over the arms and armour of the hoplite 😊
I love the videos where you talk about the equipment of the Greek military there’s really not a lot of videos going into detail
Have you thought about covering the Mycenaean period of equipment?
@@180Turning thank you so much! I myself haven't done much research on that period so i dont really venture into it so i dont spread any false information. I touch on it in an older video "evolution of the hoplite"
Can hair on the crest function as a false target just like a squirrel’s furry tail?
@@behnanshabbir5338 i actually touch on this in an upcoming section of the documentary, regarding making archers aim higher due to the crest. Its an interesting thought
I never see anything about arm and wrist protection. It had to be common
@@jaronzennaiter it seems that they werent common, which is why you rarely hear anything about them. They seem to only be around in the archaic era and fade out rather quickly in the classical, and our surviving examples are very, very few. Most art depicts hoplites without thigh, forearms, and upper arm armour. The question is why. Well, few possibilities. 1st, most hoplites couldnt afford helmet, cuirass, greaves, let alone 3 other pieces of armour. Also, warfare changed a lot from the archaic into the classical era, with looser and more individualized formations requiring individuals to more heavily armour themselves.
Who made the archaic Corinthian helmet and the greaves?
Corinthian was made by Genius Steel Crafts, greaves by Adam Mazier from Poland, though he is no longer taking orders unfortunately.
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Thanks! I am still looking for a good manufacturer for greaves
@@lotsofweirdstuff you could look at getting in contact with Daniel Strandow, he's the guy making my new transitional cuirass. Excellent armourer, but a long waitlist. Otherwise, maybe look at Lyba steel craft. Theyve done some good stuff
Where did you get the brass cuirass made from?
@@Gorillainatoyotaecho8 Robb from Thak Ironworks
Made my day. I've been waiting for this video last year, when I've building up my panoply, so I thank you now Adam! Are you planning make another video about later, hellenistic arms and armour? That would be great (comparsion)
@@davidofs01 thank you very much! Awesome to hear that you arw building your own! As for the hellenistic, i personally haven't actually done much research into it, just some basic knowledge. When i do my video on the Corinthian, helmet evolution will be covered 😊
Muito bom 😲👍🏻👍🏻
Although many crests are seen on pottery, many didn't have any according to archeological evidence
@@freypeach7453 its an iffy subject. Although many dont show holes where they were nailed or pinned, they do show a different patina, indicating that they were glued, likely with pitch. If crests were light, which they ought to be, then pitch would have been a vert suited candidate, flexible and strong similar to modern silicon
A transverse crest served a practical purpose for officers; conversely, it would be entirely impractical for any more than lone company grade officers to wear among their units, as bunches or-comically-entire units of tightly packed men wearing transverse crests would make for blind units
Again, no evidence for them being any form of rank, and whh would they be blind?? I myself have used a transverse for years, and stood alongside others with them and there is no problem at all
Once you have established moral superiority over the enemy infantry a more enclosed, brightly chequered helmet would also help in being more scary.
I know the channel is focused on the Classic period, but reading Polybius' Histories i became very interested in hellenistic Sparta, the military and social reforms and their constant wars in the Peloponnesos. Maybe can be an argument for future videos.
I can certainly look into it, although being completely honest I havent done all that much research into Hellenistic Sparta, more so archaic and classical
I think that particular sword there looks more iberian than greek at a surface level, as most the kopis finds or art I've seen tend to be a bit more subtle with the forward curve, and iberian 'falcata' having more pronounced 'bent back' forward curve. I could be wrong, and maybe that one is modeled off a specific find. but most depictions in the iconography that I've seen of the kopis are more similar to the korfu find? let me know if I'm off base, but just from what I know.
@@Pyrrhus399 you are correct, i would also classify this as a falcata. This was actually quite a cheap, old sword i had lying around, but it was a good enough example for my purpose 😊
Alexander the Great reached India. Has nepaese Khukri something to do with Kopis?
@@brittakriep2938 likely not, as the kopis was around well before the hellenistic era
Linothorax was certainly not glued. It was most likely twinned, which is not layered or quilted weaved linen
@@MarcRitzMD it was most likely a multitude of methods. Unglued layered linen has proven to be very protective through testing. We have a very detailed video on the tube and yoke the on the channel which goes over all of the methods in great detail, it's called "Linothorax: Agnostic Overview," perhaps youd be interested!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History nice! Thanks, i was just searching through youtube about linothorax but that video didn't show up. I'll push the algorithm towards it
That lizard sticker is likely going to take out the eye of the chap behind you.
We've never encountered such an issue with experimentation
They wore thigh guards too at least the spartans did, it would be kind of weird to leave their thighs unprotected because you have major arteries in there and being cut through the thigh with any sharp swords or spears would be death. automatically.
@@michelleg7 we have very few examples of thighs. "Spartans did" isnt really anything we can say. There really isnt anything "spartan" that wasnt available to others. This piece is another archaic item, along with the upper and lower arms, and feet. However, again, this drops out in the classical age. Either way, even in the archaic era these would have been rare, as this fully armoured hoplite would have been a societal elite, not your average hoplite 😊
The secret to the success of the Spartans Army was their six pack abdominal muscles 👍😁
Pozdrowienia z Polski! Sam również zbieram ekwipunek hoplity!
Hello! Awesome to have you!
If that cuirass is correctly measured, it looks quite restricting. It made me wonder about how ancient Greeks used their swords and spears wearing their armour.
@@verfugbarkite The armour is very well fitting. No problems at all moving. Check out out sparring videos to see mobility
24:20
Fancy giving all the conscripts identical shields.
Aren't conscripts less able soldiers,
since they have actual jobs?
@@ariebrons7976 yes, particularly in Sparta. The state issued shield theory is thag those too poor to afford it would be given a shield by the state, hence the lambda for laconia
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Isn't that an easely exploitable weak spot the enemy can use?
@@ariebrons7976 not really. Hoplite were already citizen militias as i emphasize in the video, and many states would have had to have conscripted poorer soldiers.
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History
Thanks.
Looking like alexios the eagle bearer
I like the colourfullness & fancyness, that feels correct.... It is not like the Netflix Hoplites (& Netflix Vikings), always dressed in boring Biker Goth black....
Regarding the Vikings & Scandinavia, as i understand it, if you were e.g. a thrall or a poor farmhand, you might be dressed in undyed wool from black sheep = dark grey/brown. But if you belonged to the class that could afford arms, ships and going on raids, you would be more fancyfull, wool dyed red & blue, etc.
If you were successfull in your raids, you gradually equip yourself with more & more glorious things, like swords with sculpted hilts in gold & garnet, decorated helmets in siver & gold, well, stuff imported from Greece(=Byzanticum). Sutton Hoo, Vendelshärde, Valsgärde, they beleive that was kings, but successfull merchants, raiders, cheiftains, conquerors, would gradually get more luxurious things...
Perhaps it was the same with the hoplites? Did successfull generals, etc have swords with jewels, gold, silver... Did they have silk, like the Romans?....
Similar to the hoplites, yeah. As they had to afford their own stuff, it would be up to them to decide what decorative elements they'd like. We do see gold and jewels, however more common in the bronze age. Silk would have been very rare. It would have all depended on personal likes/dislikes, and wealth
My brother in Christ, you just walked up to the camera wearing a dress and a bonnet. Jokes aside though, cool shit here for sure.
Eshte si puna e hasaij reklame qe jepen ne per televizione kjo eshte me e mira dhe me e bukur njerzin kur vene ne per super markete marin ate qe deshiroin keshtu eshte edhe puna e grekeve te lashte qe te jesh grek i lashte duhet te jesh Arberor Arvanitas se Arvanitasit jane greket e lashte dhe jo greket
So what exactly protected their feet? Leather sandles?
Sandals, or barefoot. We have some archaic examples of articulated feet armour actually! However, these seem rare
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Wouldn't their feet be easy targets, then? Or are the feet somehow protected by the stance?
@@ConquerCollin its a good question, and i often ask myself why they seem to get rid of foot armour. Simply put, feet are quite hard to hit, they are small, and almost constantly moving. Thats basically all i can say, once the armies get close together the feet are probably quite safe, however in the approach they might be at more risk
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History might have been removed for ventilation. body can vent a lot of heat through the extremities
@@cal2127 definitely possible, or maybe just not many hoplites were getting foot injuries! We don't really know unfortunately
🗿👍
Presenter is very British.
@@lusolad oi bruv, what makes you think that 🤭
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History nothing wrong with that. I like the unique style you guys have as presenters.
@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History nothing bad about that. I appreciate the style of British presenters. Who knows maybe you and Alice Roberts can co host a program one day, eh?
Not with the Scottish guy. He has gotten a bit up his own ass these days.....
@@lusolad haha! Why thanks very much!
@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History thank you for teaching us about ancient people.
Those helmets look like dong tips without the crests!
I believe that the transverse Crests are only in art. They are shown only when the subject is face on.
But we have sculpture with them too.
I can’t understand anything you say. Can you please speak American? Thanks.
Ill have a gluten free helmet and ill buy it with my credit card please 🇺🇲🇺🇲😜
Very nice and very interesting. Thank you.
Please don't take this the wrong way but if you are going to dress as an ancient Greek - wouldn't it be a good idea to put a bit of fake tan on your legs and arms so that you look less like a north european trousered barbarian who has left most of his clothes off? I am not being sarcastic but Greece is much more sunny that Britain and the Greeks were out in that sun a lot (without shirts and trousers).
Thank you! I actually just came back from Greece and live in Canada, which gets a lot of sun, and though i don't have the Mediterranean skin tone, i am more tanned in person lol. Personally, i dont think i should have to alter the appearance of my skin to reenact anyone. Same if i were reenacting a viking, i wouldnt whiten it.
I was in Greece and went to a number of museums, the shield he's showing is to deep dished... I saw an actual Spartan shield it wasn't deep dished like this at all! Video rating - 👎👎👎👎👎💩💩💩💩💩
Its a scan from the vatican shield, so it is quite literally the same depth of that artefact. You are referring to a bronze shell i assume?