Papers by Kevin Rowan De Groote
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, Apr 25, 2016
Summary Greek hoplite warfare has traditionally been explored through the extant textual and pict... more Summary Greek hoplite warfare has traditionally been explored through the extant textual and pictorial evidence. This has resulted in an incomplete picture, with much of the focus on the strategic and tactical aspects of battle, to the neglect of practical and functional considerations of combat. As a consequence, many of our understandings of the nature of hoplite combat, the how, remain deficient. In this paper, I explore the structural and functional aspects of the hoplite shield, the single most important item in the Greek hoplite's panoply, to determine its efficacy in a combat environment. Through a set of controlled practical experiments, the effectiveness of the hoplite shield is tested to establish its defensive qualities vis-a-vis the long thrusting spear, the hoplite's primary offensive weapon.
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International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 2021
Despite the vast research undertaken on hoplite warfare, surprisingly little is known about how h... more Despite the vast research undertaken on hoplite warfare, surprisingly little is known about how hoplite shields were made, the very technology underpinning the transformative military reforms of hoplite warfare. The few forays that have explored the manufacturing process have been isolated and unintegrated studies leading to an often simplistic and superficial uniformity of production model which does not reflect the evidence. This article analyses the physical remains of extant hoplite shields and finds a plurality of different designs in concurrent use with core compositional differences that likely impacted combat performance and economic value with some designs performing better than others. Moreover, the use and availability of different shield designs of variable quality and economic value suggests a wider range of socioeconomic diversity in hoplite armies and among hoplites than is generally assumed.
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Ancient Warfare, 2018
This paper explores the hoplite spear, the primary offensive weapon of the Greek hoplite, and how... more This paper explores the hoplite spear, the primary offensive weapon of the Greek hoplite, and how it was wielded in combat, examining textual, pictorial and new experimental evidence.
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Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2016
In this paper, I explore the functional aspects of the hoplite shield to determine its effectiven... more In this paper, I explore the functional aspects of the hoplite shield to determine its effectiveness (and defensive qualities) in combat (hoplite warfare) through a set of controlled practical and simulated experiments.
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Book Reviews by Kevin Rowan De Groote
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Posters by Kevin Rowan De Groote
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Papers by Kevin Rowan De Groote
Book Reviews by Kevin Rowan De Groote
Posters by Kevin Rowan De Groote
Talks by Kevin Rowan De Groote