greek weapons

One of the many types of soldiers found in ancient Greece was the hoplite. Also known as the typical foot soldier, hoplites were the backbone of the Greek army. They were the men who went into the hand-to-hand combat situations that were the way classical Greek wars were fought – hoplites went into battle in broad daylight, facing the opposing army head-on with no tactics of strategy or hiding. These men were totally reliant on their own skills, as well as the skills and bravery of their neighboring soldiers.
He typically wore 65 pounds worth of armor, and carried a large shield which itself would often be used as a weapon; the shield could be used to break the opposing army's weaponry, which were usually long spears with wooden handles. The hoplites also carried these spears as their weapons of choice; the spear was a six to eight foot long weapon with a head made of iron, a butt end made of bronze, and a shaft of wood (usually ash). These spears broke frequently, so the butt was an important part that could additionally be used in battle.
Of course, the spear was only one of the ancient Greek weapons. Another interesting weapon was the ballista, which was a powerful ancient crossbow type weapon. While not used by the hoplites in battle, the ballista was still an important part of combat in Greece. Historians believe that the ballista was used as a siege weapon, when attacking forts or other installations in areas where foot soldiers could not tread.