ARMA

ARMĀTŪRA ( ἔντεα , τεύχεα , Hom.; ὅπλα ), arms, armour. Homer describes in various pa ages an entire suit of armour, and we observe that it consisted of the same portions which were used by the Greek soldiers ever after. Moreover, the order of putting them on is always the same. The heavy-armed warrior, having already a tunic around his body, and preparing for combat, puts on—1. his greaves ( κνημῖδες , ocreae ); 2. his cuira ( θώραξ , lorica ), to which belonged the μίτρη underneath, and the zone ( ζώνη , ζωστῆρ , cingulum ), above; 3. his sword ( ξίφος , ens is , gladius ), hung on the left side of his body by means of a belt which pa ed over the right shoulder; 4. the large round shield ( σάκος , ἀσπίς , clipe us , scutum ), supported in the same manner; 5. his helmet ( κόρυς , κυνέη , ca is , galea ); 6. he took his spear ( ἔγχος , δόρυ , hasta ), or in many cases, two spears. The form and use of these portions are described in separate articles, under their Latin names. The annexed cut exhibits them all. Those who were defended in the manner which has now been represented are called by Homer aspistae ( ἀσπισταί ), from their great shield ( ἀσπίς ); also angemachi ( ἀγχεμάχοι ), because they fought hand to hand with their adversaries; but much more commonly promachi ( πρόμαχοι ), because they occupied the front of the army. In later times, the heavy-armed soldiers were called hoplitae ( ὁπλίται ), because the term hopla ( ὄπλα ) more especially denoted the defensive armour, the shield and thorax. By wearing these they were distinguished from the light-armed ( ψιλοί , ἄνοπλοι , γυμνοί , γυμνῆται , γυμνῆτες ), who, instead of being defended by the shield and thorax, had a much slighter covering, sometimes consisting of skins, and sometimes of leather or cloth; and instead of the sword or lance, they commonly fought with darts, stones, bows and arrows, or slings. Besides the heavy and light-armed soldiers, another description of men, the peltastae ( πελτασταί ), also formed a part of the Greek army, though we do not hear of them in early times. Instead of the large round shield, they carried a smaller one called the pelté ( πέλτη ), and in other respects their armour, though heavier and more effective than that of the psili, was much lighter than that of the hoplites. The weapon on which they principally depended was the spear. The Roman legions consisted, as the Greek infantry for the most part did, of heavy and light-armed troops ( gravis et levis armatura ). The preceding figure represents two heavy-armed Roman soldiers. All the e ential parts of the Roman heavy armour ( lorica , ens is , clipe us , galea , hasta ) are mentioned together, except the spear, in a well-known pa age of St. Paul ( Eph. vi. 17).