A Spartan hoplite (footsoldier) donned a helmet, breastplate, and greaves and carried a short sword at his waist. He held so large a shield that it could be used as a stretcher to carry wounded from the field. This shield protected its bearer's left side and front, and extended far leftward to protect his neighbor's right side. Dependence upon a neighbor's shield encouraged each hoplite to keep rank. These trained hoplites maneuvered in a formation, called a phalanx, of at least eight ranks deep. The Spartan phalanx was the most formidable sight on battlefields in the fifth century B.C .
