Greek Soldiers - Hoplites

Hoplite service was compulsory in Classical Athens, although the idea of conscription seems to be at odds with the personal freedom of Athenian democracy

The Hoplites were the heavily armed foot soldiers of the Greeks who fought in close formation.

Although we usually turn to Book VII of Herodotus to read about the Persian War, there are other accounts of the Battle of Thermopylae where the 300 Spartans famously sacrificed themselves for the good of all the Greeks, including that of Diodorus Siculus (c. 90 - c. 30 B.C.), who wrote about the Battle of Thermopylae in his Bibliotheke Books...

An A to Z of Greek military terms complied by Sander van Dorst.

Homepage for the Society of Ancient Military Historians. Accepts members interested in promoting and sharing in the study of Ancient Military History.

Succinct article on the Athenian fighting ship. Includes specifications and consequences of owning a fleet of the state-of-the-art, polis financed ships.

Even when Athens was no longer the great imperial state she was in the days of Pericles, she was still one of the greatest military powers in Greece.