The Many Weapons of the Ancient Greek Hoplite // hoplite warfare from the Archaic-Classical
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Join today's discussion of ancient Greek weapons spanning from the archaic and classical eras of hoplite warfare!
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#sparta #history #ancient #debunked #swords #warfare #hoplite #classical #ancientgreekhistory #ancienthistory
Finish my homework:❌ Watch Leonidas Sparta:✅
To whoever reads this, finish your homework before it is too late.
lol I need to
Leonidas Sparta is homework! 🤣
@@dannygo500 haha! Encourage your teacher to make watching Leonidas Sparta your homework 😜😜
@@NerdofGondor-t9 Trust me, after you start doing those math tasks you will realize that it is not that bad.
Comment for the algorithm, stellar work as always Adam
@@kostasbiker9302 thanks very much!
I read somewhere, I think from Xenophontas, that the Kopis was good for lopping off heads especially while on horseback. And for the xiphos (which just means sword now in Greek) when Spartans who had shorter ones like you mentioned in the video were asked about their length, they said/joked that it could still reach their enemies' hearts. Some of the ancient accounts on Sparta may be sensationalized, but I think you are on to something when you talked about close quarters combat. Presumably if you get close enough to the enemy for the dory to not be usable you are in a grappling distance, where a longer sword would be unwieldy, whereas a long nimble "knife" or short sword will be very quick and nimble in skirmishes. I wonder if both Kopis and xiphos was carried. With the cutting power of kopis they could dispatch shields, then use xiphos for quick and dirty melee. Even in modern warfafe we see essentially the short spear (bayonet) and long knife, or maybe even normal knife like a trench knife were the last close quarters weapons to be used.
Sorry for the rant. Excellent video and information.
Swords might be beautiful but the spear is the true iconic weapon of war, excellent work as always. Still want an in depth video on camp life one day
@@nicholasmaximus3412 thank you! Yeah i could look into doing something like that, will need to see if we have any sources on camp life, to be honest im not sure if we do!!!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History that's always a hard part of all of this, the Romans over the centuries left a lot of writing about life on campaign but many other cultures didn't, perhaps it was viewed as so routine during the war season that it didn't need documentation
@@nicholasmaximus3412 thats definitely a possibility. It is especially a little irritating as a reenactor because we dont even knke what their tents looks like!!!!! Grrrr. We can theorize on the structure of it, likely having tent mates who also served as a file on the phalanx. We also just went for the standard 2 post and pole triangle tent as it seems tk be in every other era of military camping. Either way, it is an interesting topic and one which i could yap about in a video 😊😊! Also, thanks so much for becoming a member!!!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History yes sir you're very welcome, you're actually the first and only channel I've become a member of. I really love that reenacting is becoming more popular and this channel is quickly becoming a gold mine for us beginner hoplites
@@nicholasmaximus3412 thanks so much!! I appreciate that a lot
Why are your swords so short, Leotychides?"
(Dark chuckle)......"Because, oh Aristodemos, we like to fight nice and close to our foes". (Steps up chest to chest).
"I'll get my cloak".
This video has been on my suggested for three days and now I’m about to watch every video on your channel.
@@garrettrice5770 appreciate it! Maybe skip out the old videos of younger me, for mine and your sake haha
Super interesting video! I like these deep dives. The outdoor setting is more dynamic than the talks at the table, too.
@@kayceecheshall2818 thanks so much!!
Nicely produced, very informative. Good use of historic/academic and reenactment information.
@@andyedwards9222 thanks very much!
An interesting and engaging video, very well done! 🌞
@@wombat3455 thanks so much! Appreciate it!
Thanks for making this it was very educational.
@@timfogelson7076 thank you! Glad you found it so 😊😊
thanks Adam for the video !
@@NerdofGondor-t9 no problem at all!! Glad you liked it!
Good video! Thanks!
When I started my writing journey at 14 or 15, I remember being mildly disappointed at how short the Greek swords of the Iron Age were. I could not help but gravitate towards the descriptions of much longer blades in the Iliad and Odyssey, which turned out to be Bronze Age rather than Iron Age weapons - and not quite as "long" as I'd imagined them when I finally got around to seeing actual artifacts online.
But by the time I was 17 I was already OK with the short blades, finally understanding that it's actual pretty handy when you're in tight formations. You can't wave a big Highlander sword in a phalanx. You might chop your friend's head off!
Zulu warfare: Short spear and ( at first) large shield.
Great video! Very well made from a didactical point of view!
@@MegasDemetrios thank you!
All the minute details of how these pieces of equipment interacted with each other are fascinating! It's one thing to see a pile of all their gear, it's another thing entirely to see it all being carried and moved around by a human. Anything else you have to share on these topics would be interesting. For instance, are there any important considerations once you don armor, sheaths, and other gear while carrying all this?
@@themekahippie991 thanks so much! Yes, that is one of the goals of the channel, to actually show and demonstrate what recreating the hoplite is all about!! I should do a video donning the whole panoply shouldn't i, maybe i should add that to the list!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History It seems like a natural build-up! There are just so many aspects to explore about smaller sets of equipment before you even get to the whole thing; you had plenty to talk about here.
Also, since most of the time spent with this gear is just walking or jogging around away from the front line, I'm curious how they'd comfortably carry everything during that time. It's relevant to reenactors and whatnot, since that's what they're gonna spend the most time doing too.
@@themekahippie991 absolutely! To answer the question about carrying... slaves. Many hoplites would have had slaves or servants to help carry their stuff. Otherwise, weve done multi-hour marches in the full kit, but they were marching days. Carts, slaves, and themselves likely
Hey great vid! I’ve seen some discussion on the International Hoplite discussion group on the idea of painted spears, what are your thoughts?
@@rengarthedwarf4029 my archaic spear is painted! Im very much on the train of highly decorated armour and equipment! Not only do we have evidence for painted spears from recoloured statues, but the greeks loved decoration and colour! Now, it would have been up to the individual, and likely, just like today, we would have seen some people love colours and decoration, others not so much, and others liking natural colours! But i would say we have evidence for painted spears, and they seemed to decorate everything else!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-HistoryI did not realize that was painted, my bad!
@@rengarthedwarf4029 Thats alright!!! But yeah, basically support both options, painted or unpainted. we certainly have evidence for painted, but then again, not all hoplites were necessarily artistic, had enough money to pay an artist, or liked the super colourful look!
Muito bom 👍🏻👍🏻
Comment for the 'rithm. Excellent stuff.
@@christopherbartley6400 appreciate that very much
@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Not that this applies to you, but no discussion by an historian can be taken seriously until they have spent several hours with spear in hand. How you (meaning ancient warriors) gripped a weapon was formed via a lifetime spent hunting and fighting, not via studying books and paintings.
@christopherbartley6400 sure, but we can learn a lot from statues, paintings, and literature; it would seen odd if they constantly depict their own warfare wrong, when most would have served in the military anyway, and lived in a large militarized culture
I wonder if there are any cases of ancient combat techniques being taught and learned all the way to today without losing potency even though the stage for them to flourish on has long since vanished?
Also Adam what was the technique you used for the taparing on the archaic spear I am starting to finish of up on the shield on my linothorax project I will have to rebuild the entire tube but oh well I glued one of the slabs on the shield lopsided so I added the wood filler and kind of sculpted it them my remaining brain cells took over and I relised that it not structal sound do I just have to glue scrap wood to fill in the gaps?
@@NerdofGondor-t9 i just clamped it in a vice and sanded it with an orbital sander. As for the shield, its hard for me to say as i cant see the pieces, but if you can use an off cut with the same or similar curve you could probably fix that.
Bro needs more subs
we're getting there :)
would you ever consider doing a video on the kardakes? the persian immitation hoplites
@@cal2127 i do have some Persian stuff planned! Ill see what i can do
I’m trying to make my plume could you make a guide for the construction of the plume I’ve seen others made like this in the Facebook hoplite group
@@christian_8436 i can see what i can do! Can you not follow the posts on the IHOP? I didnt copy them 100% but they offered a great guide!
very useful for Civ like video game I am developing.
Glad to hear it! May I ask what game you are developing? I do like to good old historical based game! :)
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History
It's a game similar to Sid Meier's Civilization. Games.
It will have lots of technologies to research and so many things to try... so many things...
I wanna give every detail, but it's still being created.
I intend to start the production in beginning of 2025 if everything goes the way it is supposed too.
this game is developed by the gamers for the games without crowdfunding, donations and share holders.
I am 80s generation and have been gamer since Atari 2600.
I witnessed good old 90s the golden age of Gaming.
I am looking forward to let you when the game is complete and ready to be released.
To be honest, I am looking forward to reactions of gamers.
This game follows the history as much as closely.
I really wish to keep you informed and let you know when it is released.
P.S. the game starts from Ice Age.
@@SkyFly19853 that sounds awesome!! Great to hear! Definitely keep mw updated! I might even be able to do a video on it when it comes out!
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History
I will !
Thank you so much !
I am looking forward to make announcement !
One more thing: the shield was often used by the Spartans as a bashing weapon. While still strapped to the arm, they would bring it up to a horizontal position and swing it like a disc. It’s more effective than a war hammer. Unfortunately, you don’t see that move in the movie 300.
Don't believe we have any sources on this, and it would leave you incredibly exposed! More effective than a warhammer?? With a properly weighted aspis i highly doubt that. May i ask where you got that information from?
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History Ok the warhammer thing was probably an exaggeration on my part, but I think it would feel like getting hit by a warhammer. Anyway, I got it from an episode of the documentary show “The Deadliest Warrior”. The episode is “Spartan vs Ninja”. The expert on the Spartans talks about that move, among many things, and demonstrates it. It would take way too long for me to describe that show, but I highly recommend it
@@DevonRomero-s1b ah, ive seen that show and that episode. No evidence for that and it wouldn't really serve any practical purpose, it would expose you to stabs from everyone else on the field and would break up your formation
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History well I think that move would be for particular situations. Like the formation is already broken up, and there’s not a whole lot of enemies surrounding you. Or maybe it’s a 1 on 1 fight, or maybe you’ve lost your weapons in battle and you only have your shield. Anyway, I’ll have to look for that evidence. Maybe find out where that Spartan expert from that show got it
Do we know what they would have called the shaft of the dory, as we have a name for both the iron head and the buttspike but nothing about the shaft as far as I know.
@@dannygo500 not that i know of either. Likely just that, the shaft, stick, handel, etc. We dont really have a special name for it either
Where to get the spearheads?
@@Pogonip try Res Bellica and Celtic Web Merchant
throw it back sis
@@EyamieYT yas queen
my young and inocent eyes!!!😭
How much do your spears weigh?
@@HoplomachusDandelion not much at all, archaic spear is around a pound, 2 pounds maybe. Dory is a little more, maybe 2 or 3
Looks like Homer may have been right after all. Who knew? 🙂
9:00 could you write that out phonetically? "Kisephos?" And would the plural be "kisiphoi?"
@@blakebailey22 xiphos, plural xiphoi. The Greek language pronounces the "x" sound, where as English speakers make a zee sound
@@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History what do you mean they pronounce the "x" sound? Pronouncing the "x" would sound like eksiphos, and you're saying "kisiphos." I checked Wiktionary and they have the phonetic pronunciation as ksí.pʰos
@@blakebailey22 im not sure how else to explain it. In english, an X sounds like ze, in ancient Greek, the X has emphasis. EX-zi-fos, which when said quickly sounds like Ke-zi-fos
@@blakebailey22 @LeonidasSparta-Fun-History
For the word for sword the word starts with a ξ which is a X sound. Think Xi. A X sound with an "ee".
This is not to be confused with the Greek letter Χ which makes a gutteral ch sound.
Real men use the shortest swords
Alexander the Great reached India. Khopis and Khukrie???
Subbed. Need a proper ancient youtuber
🗿👍