What an Ancient Greek Battle REALLY Looked Like — Recreated

The armies arrive on the field of battle and set up in their formation. Each phalanx was often led by its elite troops on the right flank, the position of honour. On either side, they might be flanked by peltasts, light troops used to disrupt the enemy and try and prevent themselves from being flanked, and their opponents would be set up in almost the exact same way. The peltasts may move in and harass each other, or maybe even disrupt the opposing heavy infantry, throwing javelins and slinging stones in to disrupt their ranks and break morale. Eventually, the hoplites themselves will move to engage, marching slowly, trying to stay together. They may even stop for a moment, hurling insult or trying to boost their own morale, or do what they can to try and crush down their own fear. Eventually, both lines will enclose together, accelerating as they close the gap, meeting in combat. Some might stand from afar and engage in spearplay, others may not engage at all, and some may smash together in a fate of dismos. We know from period accounts that just because one section of the line may be engaged in close quarters, that doesn't mean that every section is doing the same. Some may pull back and hurl insults, some may push forward to try and push back their enemy. It is likely that many would engage and disengage, catching their breath and realigning their forces, before making the charge to face each other again. One thing seems for certain, that being that these battles weren't particularly long, and their casualty rates weren't particularly high. They almost always ended with one side fleeing. These battles were arguably more a fight of fear than of martial skill, and this was when most casualties surely emerged on the battlefield. It's not even unheard of for some battles to have ended before lines even crossed, emphasising that discipline and psychological control played just as much, if not bigger, of a role in combat than battlefield ability. The battle would be officially concluded after the losing side requested to reclaim their dead, and the victors erected a tropheon at the turning point of the battle. It's important for us to remember that these were not battles of mass annihilation, they were just enough to make a point for you to claim the land for yourself. These were the people who built your economy, and you could not afford for an every fight to risk a mass amount of your populace. The battle demonstrated in this video can serve as an example of a somewhat stereotypical classical Hoplite v. Hoplite battle. Of course, not every battle went as that one did, but overall it should give you a decent idea of what one of these looked like, the phases of the battle, and the outcome of the battle. If you want to see some more in-depth videos on certain aspects of Hoplite warfare, for example the Arthesmos, overhand spear usage, and so on, then check the links in the description. A special thanks to our channel members who continue to support the channel, and patrons. If you yourself would like to offer some extra support, then do please consider supporting the channel over there. Thanks very much for watching, and I'll hopefully catch you in the next one.