The Greek word for military equipment roughly translates to hopla,
and thus a hoplite simply pertained to the ancient Greek version of the
‘man at arms’ or ‘armored man’. But as opposed to their late medieval
counterparts, the ancient hoplites were first and foremost
citizen-soldiers. Simply put, these conscripted men were expected to
take part in battles to safeguard their own interests, freedoms and
farms, in contrast to viewing military as a contractual well-paying
career. And while the ‘classic’ well-armored and trained Greek soldier
was ultimately eclipsed by the tactical Macedonian phalanx in late 4th
century BC, hoplites (and their predecessors) had dominated the
Mediterranean battlefields for almost three centuries before that.
On the other cultural spectrum, the development of ancient Greek art was rather mirrored by the pottery designs that were made between the time-fame of 1000 – 400 BC. Continuing the artistic legacy of the earlier Minoan pottery and Mycenaean pottery, the vase painting in the late Archaic Age (620 to 480 BC) mainly comprised the so-termed ‘black figure’. As Mark Cartwright wrote (for Ancient Encyclopedia) in regard to the predominance of black figures during the aforementioned period –
On the other cultural spectrum, the development of ancient Greek art was rather mirrored by the pottery designs that were made between the time-fame of 1000 – 400 BC. Continuing the artistic legacy of the earlier Minoan pottery and Mycenaean pottery, the vase painting in the late Archaic Age (620 to 480 BC) mainly comprised the so-termed ‘black figure’. As Mark Cartwright wrote (for Ancient Encyclopedia) in regard to the predominance of black figures during the aforementioned period –
