II/5 LATER HOPLITE GREEK 448 BC - 225 BC

This list covers the city state armies of the Greek mainland until they began to replace hoplites by thureophoroi and/or pikemen, also those of Greek colonial offshoot states in Italy (Italiot) and Sicily (Siciliot) until they lost their independence, those of Black Sea colonies and mercenary overseas expeditions. Hoplites continued to depend on the combination of a large strong round shield (“aspis” or “hoplon”) with a long thrusting spear “doru”. At first shields were painted with personal blazons. Sparta replaced these with a red “lambda” (upside-down V) around 420 BC. Some other cities also started to use uniform shield blazons after 500, the first letter of the city’s name, or a Hercules club for Thebes. Athenians still used individual designs and a Gorgon’s head was popular. Body armour had changed. Officers and the elite might wear a bronze muscled cuirass “thorax”, lesser men wearing a lighter leather or textile “spolas”, sometimes reinforced with bronze scales, or just a tunic. Spartans wore an “exomis” that could be adjusted to leave one shoulder bare. Xenophon describes the 10,000 in bronze helmets and greaves and a red tunic, copying the Spartan crimson. Open-faced helmets such as the “Attic” or “Boiotian” forms or a felt “pilos” (especially popular in Sparta) had mostly replaced the “Corinthian” helmet. This made it possible for other states to try to introduce Spartan-type drill, but once in contact, tactics continued to be limited to moving straight ahead in unison, first in a violent charge, then in a scrum pushing shield against shield. The Spartans used very short swords as handier in the press. The Thebans sometimes used especially deep formations (classed as 85Sp). Most states also had a few javelin-throwing armoured cavalry, of which those of Thessaly, Thebes and the Italiots were considered good and Spartan bad. Light infantry became more important and the Spartans felt the lack in the disastrous battle of Sphacteria in 425 BC. Initially they were shieldless psiloi armed with javelin, sling or bow, but the javelinmen were quickly replaced by javelin-armed peltasts (carrying small crescent-shaped “pelta” shields). The mountain states of Aitolia, Phokis and Akarnania relied heavily on light infantry and were hard to beat at home. Spartan skiritai were subjects from neighbouring mountains used as an advance guard or to support cavalry. References: Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars D. Head, The Western Way of War V.D Hanson, A Storm of Spears - Understanding the Greek Hoplite in Action C. Matthew, The Wars of the Ancient Greeks V.D Hanson, The Spartan Way N. Fields, Greece and Rome at War P. Connolly, Military Theory & Practise in the Age of Xenophon ].K Anderson, Hellenicas Xenophon, Anabasis Xenophon, History of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides, The Walled Orchard T. Holt (novel).

II/5a — Spartan Army in Greece 448 BC - 276 BC

List: 1 x General (Sp), 9 x hoplites (Sp), 1 x hoplites (Sp) or Skiritai (4Ax or Ps) or archers and slingers (Ps), 1 x hoplites (Sp) or cavalry (Cv)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 3

II/5b — Athenian Army 448 BC - 278 BC

List: 1 x General (Sp), 1 x cavalry (Cv), 1 x cavalry (LH), 4 x hoplites (Sp), 3 x sailors equipped as peltasts (Ps) or hoplites (Sp), 1 x hoplites (Sp) or peltasts (Ps), 1 x archers (Ps or 3Bw)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 2
Enemies:

II/5c — Theban Army 448 BC - 278 BC

List: 1 x General (85p or Sp), 1 x hoplites (85p or Sp), 5 x hoplites (Sp), 1 x hoplites (Sp) or peitasts (Ps), 2 x cavalry (Cv), 2 x psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1

II/5d — Thessalian Army 448 BC - 320 BC

List: 1 x General (Cv), 3 x cavalry (all LH or all Cv), 6 x hoplites (Sp), 2 x hoplites (Sp) or peltasts (Ps)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1

II/5e — Aitolian ( 448 BC - 279 BC

List: 1 x General (Sp), 3 x hoplites (Sp), 7 x psiloi (Ps), 1 x light horse (LH) or Psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Hilly
Aggression: 1
Allies: II/5d

II/5f — Phokian Army 357 BC - 347 BC

List: 1 x General (Cv), 5 x hoplites (Sp), 3 x peltasts (Ps), 1 x cavalry (Cv) or hoplites (Sp), 1 x stone-throwers (Art) or psiloi (Ps), 1 x psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Allies: ['II/5a', 'II/5b']

II/5g — Italiot Army 448 BC - 280 BC

List: 1 x General on foot (Sp) or on horseback (Cv), 1 x cavalry (Cv or LH), 2 x light horse (LH), 7 x hoplites (Sp), 1 x psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: ['II/5a', 'II/5g']

II/5h — Siciliot Army 448 BC - 280 BC

List: 1 x General on foot (Sp) or on horseback (Cv), 1 x cavalry (Cv), 7 x hoplites (Sp), 3 x psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 1

II/5i — Other Hoplite Armies in Greece 448 BC - 225 BC

List: 1 x General (Sp), 1 x cavairy (Cv) or hoplites (Sp), 7 x hoplites (Sp), 2 x hoplites (Sp) or peltasts (3Ax or Ps), 1 x psiloi (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral if Rhodian, Arable if not Rhodian
Aggression: 1
Enemies:

II/5k — Spartan overseas expeditions of Brasidas 428 BC - 422 BC

List: 1 x General (Sp), 1 x Macedonian [under Brasidas] or Ionian Greek [under Agesilaus] cavalry (Cv), 1 x Thracian [under Brasidas] or Paphlagonian [under Agesilaus] light horse (LH), 4 x hoplites (Sp), 3 x Thracian [under Brasidas] peltasts (Ps) or Paphlagonian foot [under Agesilaus] (3Ax) or hoplites (Sp), 2 x hoplites (Sp) or Thracian [under Brasidas] or Mysian [under Agesilaus] peltasts (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 4
Enemies:

II/5l — Black Sea Greeks 410 BC - 310 BC

List: 1 x General (Cv or Sp), 1 x Greek cavalry (Cv), 4 x hoplites (Sp), 2 x hoplites (Sp) or Skythians (LH), 1 x Thracians (3/4Ax) or Skythians (LH), 3 x Sindi or Maiotian archers (Ps)
Terrain: Littoral
Aggression: 0
Enemies:
Allies: I/43
⚠ Unresolved allies: I/43