The Athenian hoplite of the fifth century BC was equipped with a helmet adorned with a crest. This had a nape guard and sometimes an extension in the middle and movable cheek guards to protect the face from blows. It was hemispherical in shape and lined on the inside, and weighed around two kg.#
2#
SHIELD (aspis)#
The Attic shield of the classical age was circular in shape and convex, sometimes adorned with patterns or emblems. It could be made of bronze or of several layers of leather stretched over a metal framework. It weighed around eight kg and was almost a meter in diameter.#
3#
BREASTPLATE (thorax)#
This was usually made of two pieces of metal held together by leather thongs or buckles at the sides. It was sometimes decorated with a schematic design imitating the musculature of the thorax. It weighed about fifteen kg. Corselets of leather or heavy linen reinforced with small metal plates were also common. Prior to the fifth century bronze armor was used to protect the legs, from the ankle to the knee.#
4#
SPEAR (doru)#
This was one of the arms of offense most widely used by the Greeks since the time of Homer. About two meters long, it consisted of a wooden shaft with a metal tip of various shapes and weights attached to its end. It had a leather grip halfway down its length. The war javelin (acontion) was similar to the spear but smaller in size.#
5#
SWORD (xiphos)#
The straight, double-edged sword was one of the weapons most commonly used by the Greeks in hand-to-hand fighting. Including the hilt, it could reach a length of 60 cm.#
