08-07-2016, 10:01 PM
Hi everyone. Long time lurker, first time writer....
You are correct in that much has been made about the weight of Greek armor. Hanson goes on at length about how unpleasant and difficult it must have been to endure it. As OP mentioned, Hanson writes that a slave or servant would have followed the hoplite and they would have waited for the last possible moment to don their armor. I have no doubt that wearing it was an extremely unpleasant.
But I'd like to clarify a point. OP writes, " that one would never (be able to) marsch in it." There is a big difference between someone who can "never" do something and someone who simply prefers not to. The other response above points out the weight a modern US soldier carries. This is only somewhat accurate, in that our modern equipment is made of flexible kevlar and is undoubtedly much cooler and more comfortable than a hoplite's panoply. Nonetheless, having been in Iraq and Afghanistan let me tell you: We strip that crap off at the first possible opportunity.
Modern tests indicate that a person could run for 200-300 meters before becoming seriously fatigued, and they could likely walk for quite some distance. I think the real problem was not so much the weight alone as it was the heat, the discomfort, and the impediments to vision and hearing that come with wearing the helmet.
I'd also like to ask what you mean by "to march." If you mean marching the distance from the assembly area to the enemy formation, that would only be a few hundred meters and is easily doable. If you mean marching a 20 mile road march over the course of a day... Well, yeah that would suck. But if you are doing a road march without expecting enemy contact, there is no reason to don the armor in the first place, and it makes sense to put it on a cart or let your slave carry it.
You are correct in that much has been made about the weight of Greek armor. Hanson goes on at length about how unpleasant and difficult it must have been to endure it. As OP mentioned, Hanson writes that a slave or servant would have followed the hoplite and they would have waited for the last possible moment to don their armor. I have no doubt that wearing it was an extremely unpleasant.
But I'd like to clarify a point. OP writes, " that one would never (be able to) marsch in it." There is a big difference between someone who can "never" do something and someone who simply prefers not to. The other response above points out the weight a modern US soldier carries. This is only somewhat accurate, in that our modern equipment is made of flexible kevlar and is undoubtedly much cooler and more comfortable than a hoplite's panoply. Nonetheless, having been in Iraq and Afghanistan let me tell you: We strip that crap off at the first possible opportunity.
Modern tests indicate that a person could run for 200-300 meters before becoming seriously fatigued, and they could likely walk for quite some distance. I think the real problem was not so much the weight alone as it was the heat, the discomfort, and the impediments to vision and hearing that come with wearing the helmet.
I'd also like to ask what you mean by "to march." If you mean marching the distance from the assembly area to the enemy formation, that would only be a few hundred meters and is easily doable. If you mean marching a 20 mile road march over the course of a day... Well, yeah that would suck. But if you are doing a road march without expecting enemy contact, there is no reason to don the armor in the first place, and it makes sense to put it on a cart or let your slave carry it.
