Hoplone

Hoplone
Information
Weapon type:	sign
Designations:	Hoplone
Use:	Protective weapon
Region of origin / author:	Greece
Distribution:	Greece
Overall length:	about 80 cm to about 100 cm in diameter
Weight:	about 7 kg
Handle:	Wood, bronze , linen, leather
Lists on the subject

When Hoplon ( Greek  ὅπλον ; plural ὅπλα hopla "weapon"), even Aspis called, nowadays the shield of the hoplites in Ancient Greece .

For the name "Hoplon"

The historically correct name for a shield is Aspis ( ἀσπίς ; plural ἀσπίδες aspides ), but this old name does not distinguish between the round shield of the hoplites and, for example, the older Dipylon shield (= Boeotian shield). Hoplon ( ὅπλον ) describes a weapon in general. The Panoplia (πανοπλία) was thus z. B. the entirety of the equipment to be applied by the hoplite himself, depending on the era u. a. consisting of helmet, breastplate, leg protection, lance, sword, etc. The erroneous name as a shield has however u. a. naturalized in Germany. In Greece, the word hoplo ( ὅπλο ) still stands for a weapon, but today it usually describes a ballistic handgun. Since the difference between Hoplon and Aspis is known in Greece, one uses z. E.g. for marketing reasons the name Aspis for the name of a bank: Aspis Bank or the insurance company ASPIS PRONOIA Insurance . According to its origin, the word suggests trust and stability in connection with a bank or insurance company. The word Aspis, also called Aspida (Ασπίδα), still stands for a shield, but not for the hoplite shield in particular.

Description and use

The shield, about 80-100 centimeters in diameter, was circular, curved outward and had a reinforced edge. The edge and body were made of wood. On the outside it was covered with a thin layer (2-3 millimeters) made of bronze. The edge was decorated with bronze work depending on the era. It is also known that the shields could be sharpened on the edge, making them a cutting weapon. In the museum of ancient Olympia in Greece there are impressive shields or their bronze forms in the exhibition rooms.

The first stop of the shield for attachment to the forearm was the porpax . The porpax was a buckle made of bronze (roughly like the letter Omega, Ω) and was individually adapted to the left forearm of a hoplite. The hoplite threaded the left forearm, so to speak, on the porpax, which was shaped like a tube, and grasped the antilabe with his hand. The porpax thus encompassed the upper third of the forearm. In order for the shield to be guided, one had to firmly grasp the antilabe opposite the porpax with the hand.

Another special feature of the inside of a shield was a cord as thick as a finger attached to six points in the form of a hexagon (hexagon). This formed the so-called antilabe (Greek ἀντιλαβή “counter hold”) on the left offhand hand. The antilabe was the second point of strength and support for the hand of the left shield arm. Furthermore, the shields were often lined with leather on the inside, which prevented painful rubbing of the elbow on the bare wood.

history

The Aspis (Hoplon) is known from representations that date back to the 7th century BC. BC, and replaced the elongated 8-shape and Boeotian shields that had been customary with the Greeks until then, consisting of basket and animal skin. At around the same time, the Greek phalanx was introduced in its classical form. Possibly the development of the shield influenced that of the phalanx and vice versa.

From the 4th century BC Smaller versions of the shield appeared, which in many cases could only be covered with leather instead of metal. These were used, for example, by the Phalanx of Athens since Iphicrates , but especially by the Macedonian Phalanx .

Philip II of Macedonia, reformed the usual phalanx formation and led a. a. longer spears, the Sarissi (Greek σάρισσα ). The sarissa, which was about 5–7 meters long, reached a weight that could exceed 5 kilograms. It was therefore necessary for the sarissa-bearers, the so-called phalangites, to be able to hold the lance with both hands. In order to protect the front rows of the phalanx, the shield was reduced in size, but attached to the shoulder with the help of a leather strap called Telamon .

However, it is already documented at the time of the Mycenaean culture bloom that the Greeks carried their shields with the help of a leather or fabric strap, the aforementioned Telamon , on their back for transport.

literature

• Peter Connolly : The Greek Armies. Tesslofverlag, Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-7886-0181-7 , chapter: The Phalanx : p. 27 f.
• Philip AG Sabin, Hans van Wees, Michael Whitby : The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare. Volume 1: Greece, the Hellenistic world and the rise of Rome. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-78273-9 , p. 113.