Hoplite equipment and tactics - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (War and Warfare) Exam Questions

Practise 28 exam-style questions on Hoplite equipment and tactics for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (War and Warfare). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

28 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Source A: a bronze helmet of Corinthian type (about 460 BC), now in the British Museum. It was found at Olympia, and an inscription on it says that the Argives dedicated it from the spoils they had taken from Corinth.

To which god was this helmet dedicated?

Model answer

Zeus.

Explanation

Olympia was the great sanctuary of Zeus, where Greeks from every city competed in the Olympic Games and set up offerings. After a victory a Greek state often dedicated captured armour there as a thank-offering to the god and a public display of its success - here the Argives dedicated a helmet taken from the defeated Corinthians.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Zeus
Accept 'Olympian Zeus' / 'Zeus Olympios'. Do not accept Athena, Apollo, Ares or Hera.

Question 2

2 marks

Figure 1 shows a bronze Corinthian helmet.

Name the parts labelled A and B.

A bronze helmet, front view (left) and side view (right). Two line drawings of a bronze helmet, each captioned: "Front view" on the left and "Side view" (facing left) on the right. The helmet encloses the whole head. In the front view two almond-shaped holes sit near the top, a narrow strip hangs down between them, and large side plates almost meet at the front, leaving only a narrow vertical gap below. In the side view the back flares outwards at the bottom, with a curved notch between the back and the side plate. Label A points to the large plate covering the side of the face in the left-hand drawing; label B points to the narrow strip hanging down the middle of the left-hand drawing between the two holes; the label "Eye opening" points to one of the two almond-shaped holes near the top of the left-hand drawing; the label "Neck guard" points to the flared lower edge at the back of the right-hand drawing.

Model answer

A is a cheek piece and B is the nose guard.

Explanation

The Corinthian helmet was beaten from a single sheet of bronze, with cheek pieces that almost met in front of the mouth and a nose guard between the eye openings, so the whole face was protected. The price was poor hearing and vision, which is why hoplites often wore it pushed back on the head until the battle began.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A: cheek piece
Accept cheek piece / cheek guard / 'face guard'. Do not accept crest or neck guard.
1 mark
B: nose guard
Accept nose guard / nose piece. Do not accept 'visor' or eye opening.

Question 3

4 marks

Figure 1 shows a hoplite's equipment, including his shield (aspis) seen from the inside and edge-on.

Select two features of the aspis and explain the advantage or disadvantage of each.

Ancient Greek armour and weapons laid out as separate objects (not to scale). Line drawings, not to scale, of seven pieces of ancient equipment laid out separately. Across the top lies a long pole, about three times as long as the large round object below is wide, with a leaf-shaped metal point at its right-hand end, a short pointed metal cap at its left-hand end and a bound grip on the shaft. Below, left to right: a bronze head-covering seen from the side, facing left, enclosing the whole head, with a plume along the top, a strip projecting over the nose and a long plate over the cheek; bronze body armour shaped like a muscular torso; and a pair of long, curved bronze plates shaped to the lower leg. At the bottom left is a large round object seen from the inside: a flat band round its edge, a wooden inner face, a curved band fixed across the centre and a cord held by two rings just inside the left edge. To its right are a short blade with a leaf-shaped edge and a hilt, and a shallow curved shape with flat ends (the round object seen edge-on). The label "Aspis (inside)" is printed under the large round object at the bottom left, seen from the inside; the label "Porpax (arm-band)" points to the curved band fixed across the centre of the inside of the large round object; the label "Antilabe (hand-grip)" points to the cord fixed by two rings just inside the edge of the large round object, on its left; the label "Rim" points to the flat band round the edge of the large round object; the label "Aspis seen edge-on" is printed under the shallow curved shape at the bottom right.

Model answer

The aspis had a porpax, an arm-band at the centre through which the hoplite put his forearm, and an antilabe, a grip at the rim. This spread the weight of the heavy shield along his arm and gave him a very firm hold.

The aspis was concave, like a shallow bowl, with a flat rim. This meant the hoplite could rest it on his shoulder to take some of its weight, and he could lean into it to push in the othismos.

Explanation

The aspis was the defining piece of hoplite equipment: large, concave and held by the porpax and antilabe, it gave excellent protection but only to the left side, which tied each man to his neighbours in the phalanx. Good answers link each feature to a clear consequence in battle; the porpax and antilabe may be treated as separate features or together.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First feature: 1 mark for a valid feature of the aspis, 1 mark for explaining its advantage or disadvantage. The explanation mark is awarded for a valid advantage or disadvantage even if the feature is not clearly named.
Two from, e.g.: its size, about 90 cm across (1) - covered the body from chin to knee and the neighbour's right side / but heavy and awkward to carry (1); concave, bowl shape (1) - could rest on the shoulder to take the weight / helped to deflect blows / useful for pushing in the othismos (1); flat offset rim (1) - could be rested on the shoulder; stiffened the edge (1); porpax (arm-band) at the centre (1) - spread the weight along the forearm and gave a firm hold / but it was hard to drop quickly (1); antilabe (hand-grip) at the rim (1) - gave control and leverage to move the shield (1); wooden core faced with bronze (1) - strong / but heavy (1); held on the left arm (1) - protected only the left side, so the man depended on his right-hand neighbour (1). The second feature must be different from the first.
2 marks
Second, different feature: 1 mark for a valid feature, 1 mark for explaining its advantage or disadvantage.
As above; must be a different feature from the first.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Herodotus, Histories 9

At the battle of Plataea (479 BC) the Spartans and Tegeans fought the Persians, who had set up a barrier of wicker shields.

'First the fighting was at the wicker shields. When these had fallen, there was a fierce battle for a long time beside the temple of Demeter, until it came to a shoving match; for the Persians kept grabbing hold of the Greeks' spears and breaking them. In courage and strength the Persians were not inferior, but they had no armour; besides, they lacked skill and were no match for their opponents in technique. They kept dashing out ahead, one at a time or in groups of ten, more or fewer, falling on the Spartans and being killed... What harmed them most was their clothing, which gave them no protection: they were fighting as unarmoured men against hoplites.'

To what extent was heavy equipment an advantage to hoplites in battle? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A suggests that heavy equipment gave hoplites a decisive advantage. At Plataea the Persians were 'not inferior' in 'courage and strength', but 'they had no armour' and were fighting 'as unarmoured men against hoplites'. When it came to the shoving match, they could only grab at the Greeks' spears and break them, and those who rushed out singly or in small groups were killed. Herodotus says what harmed them most was their clothing, which gave no protection.

Own knowledge supports this. The hoplite's panoply - a large bronze-faced aspis, Corinthian helmet, cuirass and greaves - protected him from head to shin, and the overlapping shields formed a wall that lightly armed troops could not break. At Marathon the Athenian hoplites charged and defeated the Persian infantry, and at Thermopylae Herodotus says the Greeks' longer spears gave them the advantage in the narrow pass.

However, heavy equipment also had serious disadvantages. The panoply weighed about 20-30 kg, which was exhausting in the heat, and the Corinthian helmet limited sight and hearing. Hoplites were slow and needed flat ground and an unbroken formation. Against mobile light troops they could be helpless: at Sphacteria in 425 BC Athenian light-armed troops wore down the Spartan hoplites with missiles, and Thucydides says their felt caps did not keep out the arrows. Cavalry could also threaten their flanks, as at Delium. Even in Source A, Herodotus stresses the Persians' lack of 'skill' and 'technique', so it was not equipment alone that won.

Overall, heavy equipment was a great advantage in the kind of pitched battle on open ground that Greek hoplites were designed for, especially against unarmoured enemies. But it was only an advantage in the right conditions and with the right training; against light troops, cavalry or in rough country it could become a burden.

Explanation

Strong answers use Source A's contrast between armoured hoplites and unarmoured Persians, then test it with examples where heavy equipment helped (Marathon, Thermopylae) and where it was a handicap (Sphacteria, Delium). A Level 4 answer notices that Herodotus also credits skill, and judges that the advantage depended on terrain and the type of enemy.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of hoplite equipment and of battles that show its strengths and weaknesses, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; shows very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far heavy equipment was an advantage, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of heavy equipment and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of hoplite equipment, limited range of evidence, some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - fighting at the wicker shields, then a long struggle near the temple of Demeter; the shoving match (othismos); Persians grabbing and breaking spears; Persians as brave and strong but without armour and less skilled; attacking singly or in small groups and being killed; 'unarmoured men against hoplites'. Own knowledge - the panoply (aspis, Corinthian helmet, cuirass or linothorax, greaves, dory, xiphos), about 20-30 kg; the shield wall and othismos; Marathon (490 BC), where Athenian hoplites charged and defeated the Persians; at Thermopylae the Greeks' longer spears in the narrow pass (Herodotus); disadvantages - weight, heat and exhaustion; the Corinthian helmet's limited sight and hearing; slow, so unable to catch light troops or pursue far; needed flat ground and an unbroken formation; vulnerable to missiles and light troops - at Sphacteria (425 BC) Athenian light-armed troops wore down the Spartans and their felt caps did not keep out the arrows; vulnerable to cavalry on the flanks (Delium, 424 BC); expensive, so only wealthier citizens could be hoplites. AO2: for - in close combat on open ground, against unarmoured infantry or other hoplites, armour and the shield wall were decisive (Plataea, Marathon); protection let hoplites survive long, exhausting fights. Against - Herodotus also stresses skill and technique, so equipment was not the only factor; in rough terrain or against missile troops and cavalry, heavy equipment was a liability; weight and heat limited endurance and speed. Judgement: e.g. a great advantage in the pitched battles Greeks chose to fight, but a weakness when the enemy refused to fight on those terms.

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