Arma, Armatūra
（
ὅπλα, ἔντεα, τεύχεα). Arms, armour. The weapons of
attack and defence employed by the Greeks of historic times are essentially the same as those
with which the Homeric heroes appear equipped in an earlier age. The changes gradually
introduced, especially after the Persian Wars, tended to make the armour lighter and to give
greater power of movement to the combatants. For defensive armour they used a helmet (
κόρυς, κυνέη); a cuirass (
θώραξ）
(see
Thorax); a girdle (
ζώνη) of leather or felt, covering the lower part of the body, and reaching down
to the middle of the thighs. Sometimes this consisted of narrow strips called
πτέρυγες (wings) arranged either in single or double rows, and
covered with metal. Sometimes it was a complete coat plated with bands of metal. The greaves
(
κνημῖδες) covered the front part of the legs from the
ankles to just above the knee, and consisted of flexible metal plates or leather fastened
behind with buckles. The weapons of defence were completed by the shield.
For offensive weapons they had, besides the sword (
ξίφος),
the lance (
δόρυ), five to seven feet long. This was of iron,
sometimes broader, sometimes narrower, and sometimes hooked and with an iron joint on the butt
end which served to fix the spear more easily in the ground, or could be used as an offensive
weapon when the regular head was broken off. The cavalry used a shorter lance (
πάλτον) for hurling as well as thrusting; this was much shorter than
the Macedonian
σάρισσα. The other weapons of attack were
javelins (
ἀκόντια) of different sizes, the longer kinds of
which were hurled by means of a thong, bows and arrows (see
Arcus), and slings. On the equipment of the different kinds of troops, see
Gymnetae;
Hippeis;
Hoplitae;
Peltastae.
Among the Romans the full equipment of defensive armour similarly consisted of helmet (
cassis, galea), cuirass (see
Lorica), greaves (
ocrea), and shield (
clipeus,
scutum). With regard to the greaves, it must be noted that in later times the infantry
wore them only on the right leg, which was unprotected by the shield.
Besides the sword (
ensis, gladius), the horse and foot of the legion
alike used, as an offensive weapon, the lance (see
Hasta). It was only the light-armed troops that fought with javelins and slings. Then
the
pilum (q. v.) was introduced, first for a part and finally for the
whole of the legion. This was the missile which the Romans hurled at the commencement of a
battle before coming to close quarters with their swords. Bows were not a national
weapon with the Romans, and were only used by their allies. See
Exercitus;
Legio.
