Uniforms of the Ancient Greek Generals
Ancient Greek soldiers, called hoplites, were required to provide their own armor and weapons as one of their duties of citizenship. Generals typically wore fancier versions of the armor worn by their men.
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Tunic
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Before donning his armor, any Greek soldier would put on a short tunic called a chiton. This was made of either wool or linen and often dyed bright blue or red.
Helmet
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The Corinthian style helmet covered everything but the eyes and mouth. The general protected his head with a tight fitting helmet. This bronze helmet came in several styles and was either highly polished or intricately painted. It was often topped with a horse hair plume that helped soldiers find him on the battlefield.
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Armor
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Only the wealthiest soldiers could afford ornate armor. The general protected his torso with bronze body armor. As depicted in art, this often consisted of plates of bronze shaped to the warrior's muscles. Another option was the linothorax, a layered hemp tunic covered in bronze scales.
Greaves
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The general's lower legs were protected by bronze shin-guards called greaves. The extremely flexible greaves were perfectly shaped to the man's muscles and held on without straps.
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References
- Photo Credit statue of a Greek soldier holding a spear & wearing helmet image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com ancient greek helmet 10 image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com ancient greek armor image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
