More re-organised and re-released miniatures from our acquisition of Immortal Miniatures. This time we have Hoplites in linen cuirass – perfect to add into your plastic hoplite regiments!
The hoplite was the mainstay of the Greek army during the Persian wars. Every man was expected to provide his own equipment so he could fight in the phalanx. This at the very least would have been a helmet, greaves, spear and shield. Arms and armour would have been bought or passed down through the family, resulting in a mixture of old and new equipment spread throughout the phalanx.
The linen cuirass has been around since the 6th century and was beginning to take preference over the older style bronze ‘bell’ cuirass which gave superior protection, but its weight hindered movement. Vase paintings from the beginning of the 5th century usually depict the cuirass as being made from composite materials. These would have been made from scales of leather or bronze which would have been fastened to the flexible material underneath providing good protection while retaining a light weight.
The shield was arguably the most important piece of the hoplite’s panoply, without it protecting its bearer and the man to his left the phalanx would be broken. It is a popular misconception that the shield was made from bronze, in reality the facing was only covered in a sheet of bronze around half a millimetre thick, this was probably for show rather than protection. The main arm of the hoplite was the the long thrusting spear, if this broke in the heat of battle the hoplite carried a Kopis or other short slashing blade.
This pack contains 8 metal miniatures with separate heads, spear arms and shields, allowing you plenty of scope for posing and variety.
You can also buy them as a regiment of twenty hoplites all holding spears over arm, under arm or a 50/50 mix – your choice!
