The psychological secret of the Greek hoplites to be impassive and lethal on the battlefield

by time news

counted Posidonio –historian and philosopher of the 2nd century BC– a reflective story about Pyrrho of Elis. She was sailing her colleague in a loaded ship up to the poop when a storm began to dump liters of rain on the deck. Panic spread among the crew; cruel fate of drowning. But “he, keeping calm, raised his spirits by showing a piglet that continued to eat on the ship.” He was convinced that those present should remain calm just like that pig, because worry would be of little use to them. His maxim was “that the sage should remain in a state of imperturbability” and calm to reach the peak of existence.

That imperturbability referred to by Pyrrho, the highest representative of the current of skepticism, was ataraxia. The concept was later replicated by as many other philosophers as Sixth Empirical in the 2nd century AD C.: «Skepticism is the ability to establish antitheses in phenomena and in theoretical considerations, thanks to which we are heading, first towards the suspension of judgment, and then towards ataraxia». In his words, the first stage was to reach a “balance of mind in which we do not reject or put anything”; while the second, the culmination, was the “well-being and security of the spirit.”

Up to this point, ataraxia could be defined as one more theory. Key in philosophical thought, of course, but far from the borders of a section of pure and simple History. However, the historian Steven Gambardella states in his article ‘Stoicism: What is Ataraxia?’ that this frame of mind was so prized by the Greeks that hoplites trained it: “It was often used in a military context because it was the perfect state of mind for a military man to go into battle.” The key, the expert argues, was for the combatants “not to be scared before fighting”, but also “not to be too fierce or bloodthirsty” so as not to break the famous and compact formations of the hoplites.

Keep the order

Gambardella’s vision tallies from start to finish. Pyrrho of Elis himself forged his philosophical theories after accompanying Alexander the Great’s army to India as a disciple of the Democrat Anaxarchus. Although it is difficult to be sure of his experiences because he left no writings to rely on. It was his student Timon who compiled the maxims of his teacher and defended his position as a basic figure in skepticism and ataraxia. This is confirmed by the Professor of Ancient History Marco García Quintela in his ‘Dictionary of the History of the Ancient World’: “He came to the conclusion that a state of imperturbability had to be reached, which was the goal in the life of the human being.”

Gambardella further believes that ataraxia was a key factor in preventing soldiers from breaking the famous Hellenic order of battle when engaging the enemy. The historian Carlos Ventura and Santasusana states in ‘Introduction to the military history of the Greek world’ that the hoplite phalanx was based on the collective action of a formation of men with the same discipline. It worked like a chain in which each combatant protected part of the flank of his partner with his shield. The historian and philosopher Thucydides (born 5th century BC) made it clear in his description of the Battle of Mantinea: “The men in line tried to keep themselves under the protection of the shield of their companion on the right.”

Pyrrho of Elis

ABC

The destruction of a part of that chain was therefore lethal for the Greek army. In fact, Ventura corroborates that hoplite battles were won by a break in the opposing line. Normally, thanks to the pressure exerted on a specific point. Gambardella, of course, is of the same opinion: «Working in such formations required an iron mental discipline. The ‘pezhetairoi‘ or ‘fellow footmen’ as they were known, had to keep their passions from getting the better of them when arrows rained down or enemy cavalry charged.” In exchange, this type of combat – which became widespread from the 8th century BC. C.– allowed the war to be carried out by peasants and fans.

Although there are no sources that directly corroborate the training of ataraxia, there are dozens of examples that demonstrate the importance that the Greeks gave to imperturbability. When Socrates asked the general Lacquers What would define the perfect brave man, he answered simply: “Anyone who is willing to stand firm in line, to resist the enemy and not flee.” The signs of tension and nervousness in the formation were, in fact, evident to an experienced eye. In 422 BC C, the general Brásidas he appreciated that the Athenians were not going to attack them. “Those men will not stand up to us; it is evident by the movement of the spears and the heads». They were agitated, or so he thought.

known training

To what extent is the theory that the Greeks trained ataraxia reliable? At first, it seems difficult to happen. The historian Gonzalo Ollero de Landaburu admits in ‘A Brief History of Daily Life in Classical Greece’ that hoplites received very rudimentary training. Logical, since they were not professional soldiers, but citizens who grabbed weapons at specific times and in need. “The non-professionalism of the army also affected the frequency and intensity of the fight, since each one practiced them according to what they considered,” he reveals. In his words, except for the specific cases of the Spartans and the Theban holy cohort, the “level of the rest left much to be desired.”

The only training that existed in Archaic Greece in this sense was the ephebia. Back in the fourth century B.C. C. became a two-year educational system in which – as confirmed by Aristotle in his ‘Constitution of the Athenians‘– the young soldier was undergoing compulsory military service for two years of service. The young people, who had to be at least twelve years old to access, trained their bodies through sports. “His preparation was based almost exclusively on athletic exercises, specifically wrestling, running, jumping, discus and javelin throwing,” explains Ollero in his work. Whoever wanted to know how to use a weapon had to pay for it out of his own pocket.

Historical reenactors reenact the Battle of Marathon wave in 2011

ABC

The most popular and widespread exercise was a competition called ‘hoplitodromos‘. The 2nd century philosopher Pausanias states in his writings that it was created in the 65th Olympiad as “preparation for war”. And it does not seem strange since the young people participated in it equipped with the full panoply of the combatant. From here, there are as many minor exercises as authors have dared to investigate this topic. The historian JE Landonfor example, states in ‘Soldiers and ghosts: a history of battle in classical antiquity’ that a competitive –pyrrhic– dance was devised in which the actors participated with all their equipment and recreated some movements of the phalanxes on the battlefield .

The only field training prospective hoplites received was when young men between the ages of 18 and 19 were sent out on patrol in rural areas shortly before joining the Greek army. And that did not guarantee that they would live through a single skirmish. That, together with a factor as determining as age, made participating in a battle something not as common as one might think at first. «Depending on how old you were at the time of a mobilization in Athens, you could have one function or another. Males between the ages of 20 and 49 could be mobilized en masse. If you were a little older, between 50 and 59, it was your turn to serve as a side dish. From the age of 60 you were released from all military obligations, ”adds the Spanish expert.

In any case, one must not fall into the error of believing that the Greek city-states did not give importance to war. Although it is true that in Sparta it was a way of life and they turned battle into an art, it is also true that it was a key element of life for the rest of the ‘poleis’. Take as an example the oath that the ephebes had to pronounce during their training:

I will not dishonor these sacred weapons, nor will I abandon my companion in the line of battle to his fate. I will defend both the sacred and the profane places, and to my offspring I will not deliver a diminished homeland but rather an enlarged and more powerful one, to the extent that my companions and I are capable, and I will obey those who hold power at all times, as well as the laws that have been promulgated and those that are promulgated, and if someone wants to abolish them, I will not allow it, to the extent that my colleagues and I are capable, and I will honor the ancestral cults. My witnesses are the gods Aglauros, Hestia, Enio, Enialio, Ares, Athena Areia, Zeus, Talos, Auxo, Hegémone, Heracles, the borders of the homeland and its wheat, barley, vineyards, olive trees and fig trees».

The rest, as they say, is history. Old, but history…

You may also like

Leave a Comment