Was the Spartan hoplite recognizable?

[RobertGargan]

In Plutarch's Agesilaus, 34. 6-8, Isidas, son of Phoebidas is fined 1000 drachmae for not wearing his armour – or clothing - in the defence of Sparta.  But if we are to take armour as arming with shield and helmet, defensive equipment, then that doesn't tell us much about the use of linothorax, metal cuirass, or spolas (whatever that was) by the later Spartans.

I am persuaded Spartans wore tunics a shade of red and the likely probability the shield displayed the lambda.

Robert

[Duncan Head]

The trophies in Anderson's Plate 11 are what made me suspect that (at least some) Spartan hoplites of the Peloponnesian War period wore armour, in this case the linen or leather cuirass. But it's not certain: Athenian trophies from pilos-wearing enemies are not definitely Spartan gear.

[RobertGargan]

Yes, that looks interesting but I noticed the pilos helmet was worn by Athenians and the Grave Stele of Stratokles (mfa.org/collections/object/grave-stele-of-stratokles-151068) shows unarmoured hoplites in combat: was this typical of the later period?

[Duncan Head]

Yes, that looks interesting but I noticed the pilos helmet was worn by Athenians and the Grave Stele of Stratokles (mfa.org/collections/object/grave-stele-of-stratokles-151068) shows unarmoured hoplites in combat: was this typical of the later period?

The pilos becomes common everywhere, though perhaps less so in Athens than in many places. In the case of Stratokles, he is probably the Attic-helmeted victor; the bearded pilos-helmeted enemy might be a Spartan, or a Peloponnesian at least.

Unarmoured hoplites are very common in art after 440 or so. Some authors argue that only the younger age-groups - the ones who are sometimes described by Xenophon and others as "running out" against enemy light troops - dispensed with armour; others see the entire Spartan (for instance) army as unarmoured. Anderson's Military Theory and Practice in the Age of Xenophon is still very good on this and related subjects; Nick Sekunda's Osprey The Ancient Greeks and some of his other titles are also worth reading. He argues for a resurgence of body-armour, bronze muscled cuirasses, in the second half of the 4th century, based on a new crop of Athenian stelae showing these cuirasses and sometimes Thracian helmets, such as Aristonautes, Prokleides and others. But it is hard to tell whether this reflects a real change in equipment or just a change in artistic preferences.

[Dave Beatty]

Some purple murex dyes are a dark blood red color - http://skemman.is/stream/get/1946/16925/39209/1/Purple_Murex_Dye_in_Antiquity.pdf

[Duncan Head]

I think we've all been assuming that murex dyes were too expensive and luxurious for rank-and-file battledress; but Dave's link does provide a reminder that not all murex is royal "Tyrian purple".

[Yin Shao Loong]

I'm not sure if there is any strong argument to establish a definite look to the look of Spartan shields in the late 5th- to early 4th century BC. In my own project I'm opting to use a mix of gorgoneia and the petal/spiral/wheel-and-spoke motifs from  6th century BC votive offerings at the Sanctuary Shrine of Artemis Ortheia at Sparta. Several examples are here http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/dept/ant/greeceandrome/browsegallery/area2/object.html?ClassicalGreekWorldCase5Sec2&88185.

I don't recall seeing similar petal/spiral/wheel-and-spoke patterns elsewhere, so in the absence of strong contrary evidence I'm opting to use these as particularly Spartan designs.

I'm open to the idea of using the lambda for neodamodeis and possibly perioikoi, but I've come to accept that there is still no definite evidence for Spartan shield designs in the age of Xenophon.

[RobertGargan]

I know both Plutarch and Xenophon wrote the Spartans polished their bronze faced shields before battle.  Xenophon mentions the mass of red and bronze of the Spartan line of battle.  All this points to bronze shields – a large amount of the surface of polished bronze – with or without a design.  Like yourself I am inclined to go for the red lambda and maybe another "Spartan design" but this is based on very little evidence.  It maybe the rim of the shield or some shields were bronze but that is conjecture.

[Yin Shao Loong]

Yes, the mention of "bronze-faced shields" suggests either a blank or minimalist - black outline on bronze? - approach.

Lakonians are a challenging bunch to model accurately. Their moustaches, for instance...

[Mark G]

An interesting question there.

Are there any examples of partially painted hoplite shields?

Or are they all fully painted faces?

Which would suggest Spartans were just plain bronze, as described, with no painted lamda

[Duncan Head]

There are no surviving hoplite shields with any traces of paint at all, AFAIK.

[Patrick Waterson]

Although this may be a case of absence of evidence not meaning evidence of absence.  Just prior to Second Mantinea, "the hoplites of the Arcadians painted [epegraphonto = marked, inscribed] clubs upon their shields, as though they were Thebans" and "all alike sharpened their spears and daggers and burnished [elamprunonto = brightened] their shields". (Hellenica VII.5.20)

It looks as if paint or something very similar (obtainable in a standard camp) was used, and this did not prevent the shield being brightened/burnished despite having a device applied.

[Mark G]

That was easy

[Dangun]

Although this may be a case of absence of evidence not meaning evidence of absence. 

But in this case, given the number of surviving shields, it may be more reasonable to take the absence of proof as proof of its non-existence.

[Erpingham]

Although this may be a case of absence of evidence not meaning evidence of absence. 

But in this case, given the number of surviving shields, it may be more reasonable to take the absence of proof as proof of its non-existence.

We would then have to explain all the visual images of what appear to be patterned shields and the literary references to painting shields.  Given the nature of the physical evidence (excavated material where paint may not have survived), I think I would stick with "absence of evidence" in this case.