Syracuse Spear Infantry

Thorax Hoplites

Hoplites date back to the wars between the Greek city-states in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the Greco-Persian Wars most hoplites wore a Corinthian-style bronze helm, and a cuirass of bronze or stiffened linen or canvas. They were armed with a short sword and an iron-tipped spear with a bronze counterbalance butt-spike. Hoplites were named, though, after the round hoplon shield they carried. The hoplon-and-spear combination required them to fight as a phalanx, a block of spearmen some eight ranks deep. When closed up, each man would find shelter behind the shield of his neighbour, creating a wall of bristling spear-points. While all hoplites were originally citizen-soldiers, full-time mercenaries took over and became the standard fighting unit of the Greek world. Later, under Phillip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, the shield became smaller, while the spear developed into the five metre sarissa pike. Many armies adopted the phalanx of hoplites as a tactical unit because it was very successful in battle.

Unit Name Thorax Hoplites

Main Unit Key Gre_Thorax_Hoplites

Land Unit Key Gre_Thorax_Hoplites

Naval Unit Key greek_transport

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 680

Recruitment Cost 680

Upkeep Cost 85

Melee Attack 27

Weapon Damage 33

├ Melee Weapon rome_hoplite_spear_elite

├ Melee Damage Base 18

├ Melee Damage Ap 15

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 12

├ Bonus vs Elephants 15

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 24

Melee Defence 83

├ Base Defence 57

├ Shield hoplite

└ Shield Defence 26

Armour 105

├ Armour mail_improved

├ Armour Defence 62

└ Shield Armour 43

Health 75

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_very_heavy

├ Man Health 60

└ Bonus Hit Points 15

Base Morale 60

Abilities

• Hoplite Wall
  The unit moves into close wall formation.
  Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Acceleration, speed
• Square
  The unit moves into a close square formation.
  Bracing, morale, melee defence
  Can't move
• Rapid Advance
  Improved unit movement speed over an extended period.
  Speed, acceleration, charge speed
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Very poor hull strength
• Very slow speed
• Weak ramming

• Very good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Good morale

Requires Buildings
Lv. 1	Royal Barracks (greek_military_heavy_4) Level 3

Faction Availability
Grand Campaign	Athens Athenian Boule Syracuse Syracusan Nobles
Samnite Wars	Greek Cities (Samnite Wars)
Hannibal at the Gates	Syracuse (Hannibal at the Gates) Syracusan Nobles (Hannibal at the Gates)