Ancient Greek military equipment

thumb|upright=1.25|Man with a shield throwing a javelin thumb|upright|Javelin thrower. Bronze, Laconian style, third quarter of the 6th century BC

thumb|right|225px|Greek greaves of “Denda”, c. 500 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 4330)

thumb|right|Modern reconstruction of a Greek xiphos and scabbard. thumb|Actaeon holding a xiphos. Painted vase from [[Metaponto, c. 390–380 BC]] The xiphos ( ; plural xiphe, ) is a double-edged, one-handed Iron Age straight shortsword used by the ancient Greeks. It was a secondary battlefield weapon for the Greek armies after the dory or javelin. The classic blade was generally about long, although the Spartans supposedly preferred to use blades as short as around the era of the Greco-Persian Wars.

thumb|Greek hoplite (standing) fighting against a Persian archer. Both are using a kopis. Depiction in ancient kylix, 5th century BC, National Archaeological Museum of Athens. thumb|Greek kopis, 5th–4th centuries BC, iron, Metropolitan Museum of Art. thumb|Modern reproduction of a kopis

large fulcrum based pole with rope and anchor, by hooking ship and applying weight at other end, lift is applied to the vessel capsizing and scuttling it.

thumb|Clipeus of Iupiter-Ammon, conserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona|Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona thumb|A Victorian depiction of a hoplite with a clipeus In the military of classical antiquity, a clipeus (; Ancient Greek: ἀσπίς) was a large shield worn by the Greek hoplites and Romans as a piece of defensive armor, which they carried upon the arm, to protect them from the blows of their enemies. It was round in shape and in the middle was a bolt of iron, or of some other metal, with a sharp point. The clipeus was more-or-less identical to the earlier aspis.

The xyston ( "spear, javelin; pointed or spiked stick, goad), was a type of a long thrusting spear in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands. It had a wooden shaft and a spear-point at both ends. Possible reasons for the secondary spear-tip were that it acted partly as a counterweight and also served as a backup in case the xyston was broken in action. The xyston is usually mentioned in context with the hetairoi (), the cavalry forces of ancient Macedon. After Alexander the Great's death, the hetairoi were named xystophoroi (, "spear-bear

type of weapon used by hoplites in Ancient Greece

ancient battle glove

Roman soldier's helmet

helmet originating in classical Greece consisting of a skull-piece, neck-guard, and hinged cheek-pieces

thumb|300px|Reconstructions of Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean swords, the bottom one a makhaira-type sword The makhaira is a type of Ancient Greek bladed weapon and tool, generally a large knife or sword, similar in appearance to the modern-day machete, with a single cutting edge.

thumb|Achilles heals [[Patroclus, since he learned the arts of medicine from his tutor, Chiron. Both men are believed to be wearing linothoraxes. attic red-figure kylix, signed by Sosias, BC, Antikensammlung Berlin (F 2278)]] The linothorax (, from the , ) is a type of upper body armor that was used throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. The term linothorax is a modern term based on the Greek , which means "wearing a breastplate of linen"; a number of ancient Greek and Latin texts from the 6th century BC to the third century AD mention () (Greek) or (Latin) which means 'linen body armour'

full body armor from Greece

thumb|upright=1.5|Scythian golden gorytos, Melitopol kurgan, 340-320 BCE thumb|upright=1.5|Gorytos from tomb of Philip II of Macedon, Vergina, Greece. A gorytos (, ) is a type of leather bow-case for a short composite bow used by the Scythians in classical antiquity. They are a combination of bow case and quiver in one, and are worn on the archer's left hip with the opening tilted rearward. Many gorytoi were highly decorated, and at least one surviving specimen was determined via SEM examination to be made of human skin.

thumb|A bronze helmet and muscle cuirass of an ancient Greek panoply, on display at the [[Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]]

A classical form of plate armor worn over the male torso

thumb|Italian cuisse, circa 1450 Cuisses (; ; ) are a form of medieval armour worn to protect the thigh. The word is the plural of the French word cuisse meaning 'thigh'. While the skirt of a maille shirt or tassets of a cuirass could protect the upper legs from above, a thrust from below could avoid these defenses. Thus, cuisses were worn on the thighs to protect from such blows. Padded cuisses made in a similar way to a gambeson were commonly worn by knights in the 12th and 13th centuries, usually over chausses, and may have had poleyns directly attached to them. Whilst continental armours t

thumb|right|200px|Alexander the Great in battle. Pteruges of leather or stiffened linen are depicted at the shoulders and hips, emerging from beneath his [[cuirass. Detail of the Alexander Mosaic, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic painting.]]

thumb|Pluto holding a bident in a woodcut from the Gods and Goddesses series of Hendrick Goltzius (1588–1589)

siege engine

Semaphore systems using water-based mechanisms

Phryctoria () was a semaphore system used in Ancient Greece. The phryctoriae were towers built on selected mountaintops so that one tower (phryctoria) would be visible to the next tower (usually 20 miles away). The towers were used for the transmission of a specific prearranged message. One tower would light its flame, the next tower would see the fire, and light its own.

ancient tunisian cuirass at the Bardo National Museum

thumbnail|alt=|Plaster cast from [[terracotta mold c. early fourth century BC. A hemithorakion is clearly visible on Artemis' midsection.]]Hemithorakion () (hemi- thorax) was an ancient Greek half-armour that covered the midriff or abdomen area. The inventor is believed to be the Thessalian ruler Jason of Pherae. It was an equipment of the officers, not of common soldiers. Plutarch records that hemithorakia were worn by Pelopidas and his soldiers during the battle to expel the Spartans from Thebes in 379, a battle in which Pelopidas and his men disguised themselves as women. In art, it is gene