This set of four Greek warrior figurines, each 4 cm tall, is made of lead-free tin. The package contains four different warriors: an Athenian hoplite, a Cretan archer, a Samian hoplite, and an Athenian hamippa.
Included is a full-color information card featuring an illustration of battling Greek warriors taken from a Greek vase. On the back, you’ll find historical information and additional illustrations of the warriors. The figurines and the card are housed in a transparent plastic blister pack.
Early Greek settlements began as small, independent communities separated by rugged terrain and often competing for the most fertile farmland. Gradually, they evolved into city-states with distinct identities and independent governments. Sometimes they fought among themselves; at other times, they formed alliances. Among the largest were Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Olympia.
Warfare was a common part of Greek life. In the early days, Greek soldiers fought individually. They usually wore a simple helmet and leather breastplate and were armed with a spear with a bronze tip and a sword.
At the turn of the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., hoplites formed the backbone of the Greek army. These infantrymen were armed with a long spear and a sword and protected themselves with a round bronze shield. They fought in ranks; eight to ten ranks formed a formation called a phalanx. Each soldier held a long spear under his arm. The enemy thus faced a mass of spears and shields that was difficult to break through and, once set in motion, difficult to stop.
Archers had been used in Greek warfare since the earliest times. However, Greek armies focused primarily on the phalanx warriors and, with the exception of Crete, neglected archery. Archers carried a bow and arrows, but also a sword and a small shield. In Greek armies, they therefore often served as mercenaries, usually of Scythian or Cretan origin.
The hamippoi were lightly armed infantrymen trained to fight alongside the cavalry. They advanced into battle clinging to the horses’ tails. They were particularly effective in direct cavalry engagements, when they attacked enemy horsemen with their swords.
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