Book Review Of Hoplites Essays - Phalanx, Hoplite,

Book Review Of Hoplites Collected and edited by Victor Davis Hanson, Hoplites: The Classical Greek Battle Experience is a collection of nine scholarly essays specifically about the Hoplite warrior: describing the weapons used, how the identification and retrieval of casualties was conducted, the style of phalanx battle from the perspective of the actual soldier fighting as well as sacrifices and battle rituals. He reveals a new experience to the reader using these works, one that sheds new light on the hoplite warrior. Born on September 5th, 1953, Victor Hanson is a military historian and columnist specializing in the study of the classics and ancient warfare. Most notably known for his contributions on modern warfare and contemporary politics for the National Review he has published a number of books on ancient warfare and the classics most on Greek warfare and the Peloponnesian Wars. Keeping his love for the classics intact he received his Ph.D in that field from Stanford University in 1980. Hanson recently relinquished his position and California State University where he began teaching in 1984 where his solely responsible for the creation of the classics program. He currently writes two articles per week for the National Review. Although much scholarly research and publication has been made available on the topic of hoplite warfare, the collection of unpublished essays that Hanson has brought together has undoubtedly opened a new perspective of battle itself. Hanson may have very well been the first to successfully bring to light the events of battle. From the actions taken before blood had been spilled, those taken while fighting was in full swing, and until the last man who had so courageously fought, lay lifeless on the battlefield, no detail is overlooked by these authors in their works. The book opens with an imperative introductory essay by Hanson himself. In this essay he points out some of the many characteristics of the hoplite warrior. Speaking of the heavy armor worn but also of the hoplites background, saying Greek warfare as something other than a deliberate, contrived contest between small farmers (Hanson 8). He addresses the misconceptions and misconstrues that many leading experts and scholars have on the topic. In particular he cites Hans Delbrcks blinded idea that Greek warfare could not be understood unless it were explicable through analogy to the common practice of the German army (Hanson 9). This collection of essays differed in from many works that are similar on the subject of hoplite warfare in that it didn't predominately examine Greek battle in terms of strategy, tactics, politics, or similar macro-issues. Instead, this truly observed the Hoplite soldier from personal view. The book seduces the reader into the very agonizing reality of battle. As if the reader was standing in rank beside the hoplite soldier as he faces brutal hand to hand combat, a much more personal aspect to a previously foreign ideology. The readers finds themselves taking roles in the ritualistic sacrifice of animals before battle, the invocation of the gods and the retrieval of their fallen comrades after the fog of war had dissipated. What was it like to wear the brass armor and carry a shield, what was the importance of sacrifice before giving battle? Why would someone willingly enter such a zone of death? Each author plays a pivotal role in educating the reader on hoplite warfare. Hansons own introduction on the ideology of hoplite warfare eases the transition to Andersons essay on weapons, Wheelers explanation of how hoplite command was utilized, Ober on the obstacles hoplite warfare faced, and most insightful was John Lazenbys The Killing Zone. Lazenby speaks of how hoplite numbers were utilized and how different polis utilized them. He explains that the norm of hoplites was to have their files eight deep or more. However extraordinary cases would show the greatest depth recorded [as] the fifty shields of the Thebans at Leuktra (Hanson 88). In addition to equipment used and logistics employed, the traditions of battle are also explored. Peter Krentz devotes his work on how the salpinx-a trumpet like instrument used by ancient Greeks- was utilized and how it affected battle. Mainly used to sound a charge, it was also a pivotal tool in battlefield communication. Pamela Vaughn