10-30-2007, 03:00 AM
Quote:Oplo in Greek means weapon and metaforicaly tool.
"Argolicon hoplon" means Argive weapon... Shield is Aspis. So "en meso ton oplon" would be "inside weapons" or "amongst weapons" ...The term hoplon for shield is erroneous.
The ancient meaning encompasses both arms and armor. It is used for shield by many ancient authors including Xenophon. It is also used for thorakes. In the passage of Diodorus on Iphicrates he mentions peltasts getting their name from the pelta, just as the hoplite get their name from thier aspis. The illogical construct here has led many to use the hopla as the shield and thus the source for hoplite, but this is incorrect. Hoplite referred to the full panalopy, weapons included, perhaps best translated as "Armed and armored man".
If you are curious, or want to see the examples of the many uses of hopla for shield and thorakes, I recommend Lazenby and Whitehead's 1996 paper "The Myth of the Hoplites Hoplon".
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
