12-21-2006, 01:48 PM
Okay, that may be more of a question than you realize!
The hoplite's panoply, not to be sounding facetious, consisted of whatever he wore into battle! Spear and shield and usually helmet were typical, whatever the period. All other details varied greatly according to the timeframe, wealth, and above all FASHION. So you might want to get a little more specific with the date.
Greek words for the sword were very interchangeable, so although "xiphos" is often used today to refer to the short Spartan sword that came into use after the Persian War era, back then it simply meant "sword", as did "machaira". Again, the exact blade in use depends much on the era. Up through the Persian Wars, the regular hoplite sword, about 2 feet long in the blade, was the common sidearm (even for the Spartans). By the Peloponnesian War, the shorter sword is becoming common, and other cities are often copying the Spartan fashion.
Peter Connolly's "Greece and Rome at War" is a very good basic book for this, or pick up a couple of the Osprey books (remembering not to trust them TOO much!). There are a couple decent websites, such as my own:
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/
Read on! And Khaire!
Matthew
The hoplite's panoply, not to be sounding facetious, consisted of whatever he wore into battle! Spear and shield and usually helmet were typical, whatever the period. All other details varied greatly according to the timeframe, wealth, and above all FASHION. So you might want to get a little more specific with the date.
Greek words for the sword were very interchangeable, so although "xiphos" is often used today to refer to the short Spartan sword that came into use after the Persian War era, back then it simply meant "sword", as did "machaira". Again, the exact blade in use depends much on the era. Up through the Persian Wars, the regular hoplite sword, about 2 feet long in the blade, was the common sidearm (even for the Spartans). By the Peloponnesian War, the shorter sword is becoming common, and other cities are often copying the Spartan fashion.
Peter Connolly's "Greece and Rome at War" is a very good basic book for this, or pick up a couple of the Osprey books (remembering not to trust them TOO much!). There are a couple decent websites, such as my own:
http://www.larp.com/hoplite/
Read on! And Khaire!
Matthew
Matthew Amt (Quintus)
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
Legio XX, USA
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.larp.com/legioxx/">http://www.larp.com/legioxx/
