DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0049
ARMA.
41
AKM.\.
As soon as the government ceased to be thus
conducted, or whenever the only title to poli-
tical power in the dominant class was the
possession of superior wealth, the constitution
was termed an oligarch}- (oAiyapxia), which,
in the technical use of the term, was always
looked upon as a corruption (jrape'ic^acrt?) of
an aristocracy. In the practical application
of the term aristocracy, however, the personal
excellence which was held to be a necessary
element was not of a higher kind than what,
according to the deeply-seated ideas of the
Greeks, was commonly hereditary in families
of noble birth, and in early times would be
the ordinary accompaniments of noble rank,
namely, wealth, military skill, and superior
education and intelligence. It is to be noted
that the word apioTOKpaTi'a. is never, like
the English term aristocracy, the name of
a class, but only of a particular political
constitution.
ARMA, ARMlTURA (eirea, Teuyea, Horn.;
on-Aa), arms, armour. Homer describes in
various passages an entire suit of armour,
and we observe that it consisted of the same
portions which were used by the Greek soldiers
ever after. Moreover, the order of putting
them on is always the same. The heavy-
armed warrior, having already a tunic around
his body, and preparing for combat, puts on—
1. his greaves (Kn7p.u5e5, ocreae) ; 2. his
cuirass (#<«pa£, larica), to which belonged
the MiVpT) underneath, and the zone ((<^vri,
Greek Soldier fFrurci tin ancient vase.)
fwa-TTjp, cinguhim), above; 3. his sword,
(fi'tpos, ensis, gladius), hung on the left side
of his body by means of a belt which passed
over the right shoulder; 4. the large round
shield (craicos, aanis, clipeus, scutum), sup-
ported in the same manner; 5. his helmet
(/copvs, Kvvtq, cassis, galea) ; 6. he took his
spear (eyx°s> Sopv, hasta), or in many cases,
two spears. The form and use of these por-
: tions are described in separate articles, under
their Latin names. The annexed cut exhibits
them all. Those who were defended in the
manner which has now been represented are
called by Homer aspistae (aon-iorai.'), from
their great shield (aoTu's); also angemachi
(ayxefiax°Oi because they fought hand to
hand with their adversaries ; but much more
commonly promachi (7rpo^ax°0, because they
occupied the front of the army. In later
times, the heavy-armed soldiers were called
Iwplitae (on-Amu), because the term hopla
(o7rAa) more especially denoted the defensive
armour, the shield and thorax. By wearing
these they were distinguished from the light-
armed (1//1A01, avoirXoi, yvp.voi, yup-vrjrat, yi>|U-
iTjres), who, instead of being defended by the
shield and thorax, had a much slighter cover-
ing, sometimes consisting of skins, and some-
times of leather or cloth ; and instead of the
sword or lance, they commonly fought with
darts, stones, bows and arrows, or slings.
Besides the heavy and light-armed soldiers,
I another description of men, the peltastne
Human Soldiers. tF"rom Column of Trajan.)
41
AKM.\.
As soon as the government ceased to be thus
conducted, or whenever the only title to poli-
tical power in the dominant class was the
possession of superior wealth, the constitution
was termed an oligarch}- (oAiyapxia), which,
in the technical use of the term, was always
looked upon as a corruption (jrape'ic^acrt?) of
an aristocracy. In the practical application
of the term aristocracy, however, the personal
excellence which was held to be a necessary
element was not of a higher kind than what,
according to the deeply-seated ideas of the
Greeks, was commonly hereditary in families
of noble birth, and in early times would be
the ordinary accompaniments of noble rank,
namely, wealth, military skill, and superior
education and intelligence. It is to be noted
that the word apioTOKpaTi'a. is never, like
the English term aristocracy, the name of
a class, but only of a particular political
constitution.
ARMA, ARMlTURA (eirea, Teuyea, Horn.;
on-Aa), arms, armour. Homer describes in
various passages an entire suit of armour,
and we observe that it consisted of the same
portions which were used by the Greek soldiers
ever after. Moreover, the order of putting
them on is always the same. The heavy-
armed warrior, having already a tunic around
his body, and preparing for combat, puts on—
1. his greaves (Kn7p.u5e5, ocreae) ; 2. his
cuirass (#<«pa£, larica), to which belonged
the MiVpT) underneath, and the zone ((<^vri,
Greek Soldier fFrurci tin ancient vase.)
fwa-TTjp, cinguhim), above; 3. his sword,
(fi'tpos, ensis, gladius), hung on the left side
of his body by means of a belt which passed
over the right shoulder; 4. the large round
shield (craicos, aanis, clipeus, scutum), sup-
ported in the same manner; 5. his helmet
(/copvs, Kvvtq, cassis, galea) ; 6. he took his
spear (eyx°s> Sopv, hasta), or in many cases,
two spears. The form and use of these por-
: tions are described in separate articles, under
their Latin names. The annexed cut exhibits
them all. Those who were defended in the
manner which has now been represented are
called by Homer aspistae (aon-iorai.'), from
their great shield (aoTu's); also angemachi
(ayxefiax°Oi because they fought hand to
hand with their adversaries ; but much more
commonly promachi (7rpo^ax°0, because they
occupied the front of the army. In later
times, the heavy-armed soldiers were called
Iwplitae (on-Amu), because the term hopla
(o7rAa) more especially denoted the defensive
armour, the shield and thorax. By wearing
these they were distinguished from the light-
armed (1//1A01, avoirXoi, yvp.voi, yup-vrjrat, yi>|U-
iTjres), who, instead of being defended by the
shield and thorax, had a much slighter cover-
ing, sometimes consisting of skins, and some-
times of leather or cloth ; and instead of the
sword or lance, they commonly fought with
darts, stones, bows and arrows, or slings.
Besides the heavy and light-armed soldiers,
I another description of men, the peltastne
Human Soldiers. tF"rom Column of Trajan.)