Left: The Hellenic hoplite derives his title from the large, bronze-faced shield known as a hoplon. The hoplite in all his variations was very much the king of the battlefield from 600BC until the Macedonian innovations of phalanx warfare in the third century B.C. In addition to the spear and shield, the hoplite was equipped with a helm and greaves (shin protectors) of bronze and a cuirass which was itself always of bronze or leather. For secondary armament, the hoplite carried a long sword on a baldric (sword belt) or a dagger in his belt. The hoplites of ANABASIS would prohably be somewhat different in equippage, possessing a leather or canvas jerkin called a spolas instead of a cuirass. Right: The figure depicted is typical of the mode of the Persian army under the Achaemenids in regard to dress and equipment. This particular individual was commonly referred to as an "Immortal" This term evolved due to the fact that this unit was always maintained at 10,000 strong. There were always Persian troops "on the waiting list" so to speak, for this unit. So if an "Immortal" was killed, he had an immediate replacement. In the early days of the Persian Empire these troops (being "true" Persians) formed the standing army, subject races such as the Medes, Assyrians, etc. being called up only in time of emergency. More Xenophon Xenophon Greek Hoplite and Persian Immortal Timeline: Greco-Persian Wars Greek Phalanx Large Map (59K) Jumbo Map (slow: 127K) Back to Conflict Number 5 Table of Contents Back to Conflict List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Dana Lombardy This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com