Western Civilization I / Unit 3 WC1 0208 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Phalanx and the Hoplite
Captions available
The idea
The phalanx was a dense block of spearmen, each shield covering the man to the left. The hoplite was a free citizen who bought his own arms and drilled. Battles ended when one side broke, and the dead were collected under truce.
In practice
A self-funded army moved by civic virtue.
Where people slip
Hoplites were not always aristocrats. Their battlefield value became political leverage.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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