@Genieljay 25 June 2021 more from that month

The Greek Hoplite might have won popular imagination because of the legendary land stand of the 300 Spartans during the Battle of Thermopylae. But unlike their portrayal in Zack Snyder's '300', they were far from being super soldiers. Their heavy armor and shield did not make them ideal in chasing routed enemy soldiers. They cannot fight in broken terrain efficiently. Their heavy baggage would tire them out quickly. They are slow and very vulnerable against hit-and-run tactics. In group, they are very effective in defending a single spot, especially when the battlefield is small and narrow, where the enemy can't take full advantage of greater numbers and surround them. Outside their formation, however, their military prowess becomes questionable. The Greek Hoplite was not widely adopted by militaries beyond Mainland Greece before the Hellenistic era because the Greeks had no answer to fast-moving troops who will not yield advantageous positions to them, such as the peltast skirmishers to the north. In fact, they incurred heavy losses in the Persian heartland under Cyrus the Younger. That fact alone dispels the myth of their invincibility. It was not until the time of Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great, will the Greek hoplites gain success abroad, which was a result of great coordination with other fighting forces, rather than an improvement in their quality.