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Ancient Greek art often shows warriors fighting nude or at least nude below the waist. There is an active debate regarding this is real or just a depiction that uses nudity to emphasize heroism. There is some acceptance that some troops fought nude if only as an expression of disdain toward the enemy.
The following images shows Theban hoplites (foot soldiers). The source states that the Greek city state of Thebes was known for its body cult, which accounts for the male nudity in battle. Thebes is the city state that finally defeated Sparta.
The next image shows Hellenized Keltic hoplites in the kingdom of Ptolemy.
The image of Greek hoplites depicted in the movies features them wearing tunics plus armor in the form of a helmet, cuirass (breast plate), and lower leg greaves.The main protective item was a shield. This depiction is often found in ancient Greek art.
Just as often, Greek hoplites are depicted as nude at least below the waist. Note that there were sporting events that featured athletes running with battle gear, and these races were performed without tunics; however, the following scenes depict battles, not sporting events.
Which depiction is correct? Probably both. The manner of dress probably depended on a lot of factors such as the weather and level of respect for the enemy. The idea that the nudity was used only to emphasize heroism doesn't fit with the observations that sometimes the opposing side is depicted as fully dressed, such as in the following scene of a Greek hoplite battling a Persian warrior. There is nothing caricature about the Persian figure, so why would the representation of the Greek figure be shown in an unrealistic manner?
Just as with other aspects of Greek life, the manner of dress probably varied during any particular activity. The following are two scenes of producing helmets. In one, the craftsman is dressed. In the other, he is not.
The following images shows Theban hoplites (foot soldiers). The source states that the Greek city state of Thebes was known for its body cult, which accounts for the male nudity in battle. Thebes is the city state that finally defeated Sparta.
The next image shows Hellenized Keltic hoplites in the kingdom of Ptolemy.
The image of Greek hoplites depicted in the movies features them wearing tunics plus armor in the form of a helmet, cuirass (breast plate), and lower leg greaves.The main protective item was a shield. This depiction is often found in ancient Greek art.
Just as often, Greek hoplites are depicted as nude at least below the waist. Note that there were sporting events that featured athletes running with battle gear, and these races were performed without tunics; however, the following scenes depict battles, not sporting events.
Which depiction is correct? Probably both. The manner of dress probably depended on a lot of factors such as the weather and level of respect for the enemy. The idea that the nudity was used only to emphasize heroism doesn't fit with the observations that sometimes the opposing side is depicted as fully dressed, such as in the following scene of a Greek hoplite battling a Persian warrior. There is nothing caricature about the Persian figure, so why would the representation of the Greek figure be shown in an unrealistic manner?
Just as with other aspects of Greek life, the manner of dress probably varied during any particular activity. The following are two scenes of producing helmets. In one, the craftsman is dressed. In the other, he is not.
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