Editing Hoplite

'''Hoplites''' were ancient Greek Citizen soldiers.
== The Basic Idea ==
In your average ancient Greek City State (Polis), every citizen who could afford weapons was required to buy weapons and practice with them. Poor people either became rowers manning oars or Peltasts, light soldiers armed with slings, bows and Javelins to harass enemy formations. Rich people became light cavalry who scouted things out and chase down Peltasts and fleeing soldiers. Middle class people became Hoplites, the main force of the Army. When a war was declared or an enemy decided to attack some of these guys would gather up, vote in a leader and march off to war.

The main exceptions to this rule were the [[Spartan]] Spartiates and the Sacred band of Thebes, both being forces of professional full time Hoplites.
== Weapons and Tactics ==
Hoplites got their name from the Hoplon, a round wooden shield with a bronze covering about a meter in diameter. Their main weapons was a three meter long spear and a short sword and a dagger. Hoplites usually wore bronze helmets and had breastplates made of leather, padded linen or bronze, as well as having grieves and bracers.

Hoplites fought in tight square formations called phalanxes, each man protecting the other two guys to his side while being nearly resistant to the projectiles. Running into one of them meant running into a wall of spears held by well defended guys, and was generally considered suicide. In phalanx on phalanx fights, they would ram into each other until one side broke formation either through casualties or one guy deciding to run away. If that happened the rest of them would run away as quickly as possible.
{{Stub}}