![spiked hoplite shield spiked hoplite shield](http://wisbod.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/hoplitebladebelowarticle.jpg)
In A Certain Magical Index II episode 24, Touma swings a riot shield at Hamazura, and rips out his nose-ring in the process.
![spiked hoplite shield spiked hoplite shield](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/phaeselis/images/5/57/336px-ReplicaGreekArmor.jpg)
She does have a short sword too, but she prefers to use her shield as her primary "weapon". In BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense, the main character Maple uses her large shield to defeat enemies by.Particularly dangerous are a number of fellows forming a wall of shields and charging forward like a mobile wall, especially while carrying something sharp in their other hand, ready to thrust through the gaps between the shields. It's still not as damaging as stabbing someone with a sword, but it is harder to block, unpredictable, and doesn't mean that one can't bash a target with a shield and then stab before the target can recover. Many historical shields were even designed with some sort of metal protrusion for exactly this purpose. A shield is large, sturdy, and oftentimes heavy, and by its very nature, bashing with it leaves one less open for counter attack than plenty of other techniques. Note that in real life this was actually a fairly practical technique before the proliferation of gunpowder weapons made them unfeasibly heavy and expensive, and is still practical in scenarios that don't involve being shot at. Also, shields can have spikes on them (often a single one in the center). Using shields that way is a staple characteristic of shield-wielding type of Stone Wall. So why not go on and hit your opponent with it?Īs shields are perceived as less suitable for straight attacking than traditional weapons, they do less damage but have a decent chance to cause effects like Knock Back or stunning. Shields are relatively large, heavy, and hard to counter because you are attacking and defending at the same time. However, it can be useful for more than just defending. This war was fought between leagues of cities, dominated by Athens and Sparta respectively along with the pooled manpower and financial resources which allowed a diversification of warfare.Your shield can always protect you, if you so choose. However, the Peloponnesian War took the conflicts to an altogether new level. It was during the same period that Athens and Sparta rose to a position of political eminence in Greece, and their rivalry in the repercussion of the Persian wars brought Greece into renewed internal conflict. The hoplite phalanx proved itself far superior to the Persian infantry in the Battle of Marathon, Thermopylae as well as the Battle of Plataea. This drastically altered the scale of warfare and the numbers of troops involved. Confronted by huge numbers of enemy troops, individual city-states were not fully equipped to fight alone.ĭuring the Greco-Persian Wars (499-448 BCE), alliances between groups of cities fought jointly against the Persian forces. However, when the Greek civilization found itself confronted by the world at large, particularly by the Persians, the emphasis in warfare shifted. Initially, the hoplites were used only in cases of inter city-state conflicts. The Lacedaemonian or Spartan citizens were very well known for their life-long combat training and legendary military prowess, while their respective counterparts, the Athenians, were exempted from service only after the 60th year of their lives.
![spiked hoplite shield spiked hoplite shield](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/32/99/61/329961b8d468ec2fe3bdf90230ba9d95--spartan-warrior-the-spartans.jpg)
Why did hoplites need to spend a lot of time training?