Introduction
Welcome to the website of the Hoplite Association. The goals of the Association are to portray the life and times of an ancient Greek military unit (circa 490bc - 430bc), in battle and at rest. These presentations will be made through media involvement, visual historical interpretation and other educational forums. Also to stage shows (ie; mythological plays) that aim to be both entertaining and definitely fun. Audience participation will be encouraged throughout our presentations.
The Hoplite Association was created by parties from all walks of life who had previously harboured personal interests in the period of ancient Greece. We speak of personal interest, for apart from informal discussions these interests did not have a platform for any further aspirations. The subject appeared to be limited to texts and illustrations and the prospect of bringing the subject matter to "life" appeared to be as remote as the period of history itself. Information appeared to be sketchy at best with many gaps still to be filled. The cost of even the basic equipment almost appeared prohibitive. Fortunately the members of the embryonic Hoplite Association have dedicated themselves to surmount all obstacles with a combination of their skills, such as crafts, previous experience in historical research and interpretation. These members scour libraries and seek out recognised suppliers of satisfactory raw and finished goods in order to bring the glimpses of nearly two and a half thousand years ago to a present and solid reality.
We next chose the timeframe of 490bc - 430bc due to both the factors of (a) limitations of budget; to realistically portray before or after the above period would require a considerable amount of extra equipment and (b) the timeframe commences with the Persian Wars, the most famous era of ancient Greek history, and concludes with the establishment of arguably the most famous building in all of ancient Greece....the Parthenon. Members of the Hoplite Association are presumed to have joined due to a given level of interest in the era covered. From there, the common interest may vary down a number of avenues. A number of instances will follow to illustrate the point. There may be those who for any number of reasons may be unable to participate in front of an audience. Members of the Hoplite Association are encouraged to contribute for the benefit of all through various avenues, maybe a craft such as leatherwork, or continuing the valued task of historical research. All contributions are always accredited and appreciated. Another instance may be a female member who may perceive a limited role for hereslf whilst the males demonstrate various military themes during a historical presentation. However, such a presentation will normally be tempered with a much more relaxed theatrical show which will recognise no such boundaries. Plus during a missile display (such as sling, javelin and archery) one cannot claim that the males have the monopoly on being the best shots. Another obvious point to make is the limitations of budget. To aquire the full panoply and weaponry of an actual hoplite can be quite expensive but since the Hoplite Association wishes to illustrate many roles of the ancient Greeks there are roles to suit everyone's taste and budget.
In order for the above to come to fruition an ongoing handbook will be produced for the membership, by the membership. Enclosed will be basic guidelines to many topics such as the rules and regulations of the Association, costume, leatherwork, pottery and utensils, military equipment and suggested reading lists. Members will be encouraged to contribute their own articles to the handbook so that all may benefit from the information. As information grows we may find it necessary to update/amend previous submissions to the handbook and these will done on an annual basis. A newsletter will also be produced with news, comments (we invite correspondence), date of forthcoming events and said articles for insertion into the handbook. On the rest of this website you will find further details of how to apply for membership, upcoming events, breaking news and anything that the Association may feel is of use. Feel free to contact us should you require any assistance with anything contained herein.
