Greek+Weapons

 jim

Ancient Greek Murder Weapons The opposing army strikes with full force but the Greeks way of battle over rules and wins. Greek weapons are usually the outcome of a win or lose in a battle. The inventions the Greeks have made are very helpful to them in battle. Ancient Greek weapons were very advanced for their time and therefore they won many of their battles. The Soldiers and weapons such as hoplite soldiers, catapults, spears, swords and shields really helped them win battles and conquer cities.

The hoplite soldiers were the front lines and the brave ones out of the pack. They were the ones that ran at the opposing enemy with no strategy just their own skill. The word hoplite means armor because the ancient Greeks were armored and weapon equipped men. The armor they wore weighed about 60- 65 pounds because they only had a helmet, shield, chest plate, and shin guards. The weapon of choice the hoplite soldiers picked was a 6-8 foot long spear and a shield. They picked this gigantic weapon so they could stab their enemies from a good distance before they have to pull their sword out and fight in close combat. The spear broke very easily so they could use the butt of the spear as a weapon. The shield was a good use for protection an d to break enemy forces. They would shield bash into the opposing enemy’s weapons to break them. The hoplite soldiers really helped the outcome of the battle. ([|hoplite soldiers])

A catapult is a device used to shoot projectiles extremely far distances. The word catapult comes from the 2 Greek words kata which means downward and pultos a small circular battle shield. Katapultos was then made to mean shield piercer because it was the most powerful artillery weapon back then. The projectiles the catapult shot were usually stones, rocks and heavy objects. At times they would drench huge bags of gun powder with alcohol and ignite it to throw at the opposing enemies. The catapults usually are transported on wheels by 2 or 3 foot soldiers. They need this many because when they got to the designated destination they would have 2 men load the catapult and the other hold it still. This was a very deadly weapon in those days.([|catapult])

The spear was one of the Greek's main weapons and the weapon that helped them win many battles. They used this spear in battle to make a phalanx. A phalanx is a battle tactic where hundreds of soldiers line up in rows of about 20 equipped with 6-8 foot spears. The soldiers that made the phalanx happen were the holpite soldiers, they were the ones on the ground and were the front lines. The phalanx was the Greek's most famous battle tactic and the one that made them win most of the battles along with the hasta (The Greek spear). This invention was extremely genius and was a miracle for the Greeks.([|spears])

Are swords an effective weapon in battle? Swords, the close combat mauler. The sword was very effective for the soldiers in the front lines like the hoplites. The sword was the hoplites second weapon of choice, first being the hasta (Greek spear). After the hasta would break or be stuck in the opposing enemy they would have their sword to do the rest of the fighting. The way they used it was by slashing from top to bottom, slicing at their side or liver and stabbing in the heart. Everyone had a sword for protection. The sword to the Greek king was like his life and was what he needed in his everyday life. The sword and crown are the symbol of the Greek king.([|swords])

The Greek shield was extremely useful in those days. The shield was used for many purposes one being a weapon and weapon breaker. The shield could be used as a weapon by bashing into huge siege vehicles and breaking them. This technique they used is called a shield bash. They would also ram into soldiers and hit them to the ground to swipe at them with their swords. The shield could be used as a weapon breaker because when the other enemies swipe at the Greek soldiers they could put up the shield and the force would break the weapon. The biggest purpose was to be for protection from aerials mostly arrows. When they saw the arrows raining down they would get on one knee and put the shield over them for protection. This was very helpful in Greek warfare.([|shields])

The Greek weapons are too powerful and they conquer many cities. The weapons showed the outcome of a win or lose situation for the Greek army. Hoplite soldiers, catapults, spears, swords and shields really helped the outcome for the Greeks.

Works Cited

Pillai, By Maya. "Ancient Greek Weapons." //Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web//. Web. 14 Dec. 2010..

Soedel, Werner Twerner. "Ancient Catapults." //Hellenica, Information about Greece and Cyprus, Michael Lahanas//. Mar. 1979. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. [].

Hall,, Shane Shane. "Ancient Greek Weapons and Armor | EHow.com." //EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles//. 5 May 2010. Web. 08

Dec. 2010.  .

Pearson, Anne. //Ancient Greece//. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print. Hammond, Paula. //Greece and Turkey//. Broomall, PA: Mason Crest, 2003. Print.UIFGQ;IUGIHP2V-290GR8W9EFUIEWRGTU2GERTIQ34OT