Warfare in Ancient Greece | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (2024)

As the economic resources of Greek city-states and individuals increased during the seventh century B.C., armies of foot soldiers were formed within the wealthier city-states. Known as hoplites, these soldiers were characteristically equipped with about seventy pounds of armor, most of which was made of bronze. The typical panoply included an eight- to ten-foot thrusting spear with an iron tip and butt, and bronze armor consisting of a helmet, cuirass (chest armor), greaves (shin guards), and a large shield about 30 inches in diameter. The heavy bronze shield, which was secured on the left arm and hand by a metal band on its inner rim, was the most important part of a hoplite’s panoply, as it was his chief defense.

In nearly every medium of Attic art of the sixth century B.C., the hoplite and warfare feature prominently, as military service was a primary distinction of citizenship—a mark of status and often of wealth, as well as a means of attaining glory. Furthermore, the initiatives taken during the latter part of the sixth century to standardize the Homeric epics in written form fostered a broader interest in heroic subject matter. In Athens, military service was determined by a citizen’s social and economic position. In the early sixth century B.C., the archon Solon instituted four classes defined by income and gave each class a proportionate measure of political responsibility. The second wealthiest class, the hippeis (“horsemen”), earned enough from their land to maintain a horse and so fought as cavalry; the third wealthiest group, the zeugitai, were able to afford the equipment of a hoplite; the wealthiest class, the pentakosiomedimnoi (“five-hundred-bushel men”), supplied the leaders for the armed forces; and the poorest class, the thetes, were hired laborers who served as oarsmen in the Athenian fleet, or as archers and light-armed men on land.

Backed up by archers and light-armed troops, the hoplite phalanx remained the most important fighting unit for centuries. They advanced in close formation while protected by their overlapping shields. A successful battle often consisted of one phalanx, hundreds of men across and eight or more warriors deep, pushing against an enemy’s phalanx until one or the other broke formation, exposing its hoplites to danger and death.

Citation

Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Warfare in Ancient Greece.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gwar/hd_gwar.htm (October 2000)

Further Reading

Everson, Tim. Warfare in Ancient Greece: Arms and Armour from the Heroes of Homer to Alexander the Great. Stroud: Sutton, 2004.

Hornblower, Simon, and Antony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3d ed., rev. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Norris, Michael. Greek Art from Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. See on MetPublications

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Warfare in Ancient Greece | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (2024)

FAQs

What was warfare like in ancient Greece? ›

The ancient Greek city-states developed a military formation called the phalanx, which were rows of shoulder-to-shoulder hoplites. The Hoplites would lock their shields together, and the first few ranks of soldiers would project their spears out over the first rank of shields.

What are the 4 historic periods of Greek art in chronological order? ›

Table of Contents
  • Greek Art Periods.
  • Geometric Greek Art (900-700 BCE)
  • Archaic Greek Art (600-480 BCE)
  • Classical Greek Art (480-323 BCE)
  • Hellenistic Greek Art (323-31 BCE)

How did war affect Greek art? ›

The Greco-Persian Wars led to changes in art that ushered in the classical style. Following the first Persian invasion in 490, the severe (or early classical) style emerged, which departed from the earlier archaic style.

What came before Greek art? ›

Artistic production in Greece began in the prehistoric pre-Greek Cycladic and the Minoan civilizations, both of which were influenced by local traditions and the art of ancient Egypt.

What was warfare like in the ancient times? ›

Early armies in Egypt and China followed a similar pattern of using massed infantry armed with bows and spears. Infantry at this time was the dominant form of war, partially due to the camel saddle and the stirrup not being invented yet.

Who was the ancient Greek god of warfare? ›

Ares is the god of war and the son of Zeus and Hera. He lived on Mount Olympus with the other gods of the Greek pantheon. Ares was not well-liked by the Greek populace, as he is known for his brutality and savagery.

What is the timeline of ancient Greece? ›

Archaic period, 800–490 BC. Classical period, 490–323 BC. Hellenistic period, 323–146 BC. Roman Greece, covering the period of the Roman conquest of Greece from 146 BC – AD 324.

What are the 6 time periods in the art history timeline in the correct order? ›

Periods in Western art history
  • 1 Ancient Classical art.
  • 2 Medieval art.
  • 3 Renaissance.
  • 4 Baroque to Neoclassicism.
  • 5 Romanticism.
  • 6 Romanticism to modern art.
  • 7 Modern art.
  • 8 Contemporary art.

What are the 4 types of ancient Greek art? ›

Ancient Greek art spans a period between about 900 and 30 BCE and is divided into four periods: Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic.

What is the connection between art and war? ›

Art is used to recover from war.

Art has also been used as part of DDR strategies to provide employment for former combatants and to rehabilitate former combatants emotionally. Artists have even used the weapons of war to manufacture art.

What were Spartan soldiers called? ›

Soldiers were trained as hoplites, or heavily armed foot soldiers. The Spartan army was known for its skill in on-land combat.

What are the Greek symbols of war? ›

Ares is the Greek god of war. His symbols include the boar, dog, wolf, spear, sword, and vulture. His Roman counterpart is Mars.

What was Greece called before? ›

The Romans most likely called the country Graecia and its people Graeci after encountering the ancient tribe Graecians from the area of Boeotia, but the Greeks called their land Hellas and themselves Hellenes.

What is the ancient Greek word for art? ›

Technē (plural technai) is the ancient Greek term for an art or craft; examples include carpentry, sculpting and medicine. Philosophical interest in the technai stems from their use as a model and metaphor for all aspects of practical rationality, including its perfection in philosophy (the 'art of living').

What was the most popular form of art in ancient Greece? ›

One popular form of Greek art was pottery. Vases, vessels, and kraters served both practical and aesthetic purposes.

What was the ancient Greek combat style? ›

Pankration (/pænˈkreɪti. ɒn, -ʃən/; Ancient Greek: παγκράτιον [paŋkráti. on]) was an unarmed combat sport introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC.

What was life like for soldiers in ancient Greece? ›

Most of the soldiers were members of the city militia - every free citizen was obliged to serve his city - and without mobilization, they were artisans, philosophers, lawyers, e.t.c, so their days were similar to the days of those specialists. During mobilization, their day consisted of marches and rests.

What was warfare like in Sparta? ›

The Spartans' constant military drilling and discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fighting in a phalanx formation. In the phalanx, the army worked as a unit in a close, deep formation, and made coordinated mass maneuvers.

How did Greek mythology affect warfare? ›

The Greeks believed their gods to have been actively involved in the mortal pursuits of warfare and combat. The nature of Greek polytheism allowed for a bewildering fragmentation of the roles and responsibilities of war-gods.

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