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Since farming was generally at the subsistence level, campaigns were short and mainly confined to the summer. Armies marched directly to their target. There the defenders could hide behind city walls, in which case the attackers generally had to content themselves with ravaging the countryside as siegecraft was undeveloped, or meet them on the field. Battles were usually set piece and intended to be decisive. Both forces lined up on a level field, usually in a rough phalanx around eight ranks deep (though this varied). Other troops were less important; cavalry generally protected the flanks, when present at all, and both light infantry and missile troops were negligible.

Hoplites generally armed themselves immediately before battle, since the equipment was so heavy. Each man provided his own gear so it was fairly non-uniform, and often friendly troops would fail to recognise one another. A hoplite typically had a breastplate, a bronze helmet with cheekplates, as well greaves and other armor, plus a bowl-shaped wooden shield around 1  metre across. The primary weapon was a spear, around 2.7 metres in length; as this frequently broke upon charging, hoplites also carried a smaller 60 cm thrusting sword.

By contrast, other contemporary infantry tended to wear relatively light armor, and was armed with shorter spears, javelins, or bows. Shields were usually smaller, or else were large enough to cover the full body and rested on the ground. The middle-sized shield of the hoplite was made possible in part by the shape, which allowed it to be supported on the shoulder. In formation the shields were locked together so that each defended the left side of the soldier carrying it and the right side of his neighbor, while the spears were gripped overhand and thrusted down at the opponents.

The strength of hoplites was in shock combat. The two armies would literally run into each other in hopes of breaking or encircling the enemy line. Failing that, things degenerated into a pushing match, with the men in back trying to force the front lines through those of the enemy. Battles rarely lasted more than an hour or so. Once one of the lines broke, the troops would generally drop their equipment and flee from the field, generally unpursued. Casualties were slight compared to later battles, rarely amounting to more than 5% of the losing side, but the slain often included the most influential citizens and generals who led from the front. Thus the whole war was usually decided by a single field battle; victory was enforced by ransoming the fallen back to the defeated, called the "custom of the Greeks" in contrast to the oriental practice of mutilating the slain.

The rise and fall of hoplite warfare was intimately connected to the rise and fall of the city-state. During the Persian WarWars that are termed "Persian:" Greco-Persian Wars Russo-Persian War Turko-Persian War Anglo-Persian War Persian Gulf War.s, hoplites were forced to run at archers, and during the Peloponnesian WarThe Peloponnesian War was begun in 431 BC between the Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian League which included Sparta and Corinth. The war was documented by Thucydides, an Athenian general, in his work History of the Peloponnesian War''. The war lasted light troops such as peltastA peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. Peltasts carrried a crescent-shaped wicker shield called pelta as their only protection, hence their name. Their weapons consisted of several javelins, often with ths became increasingly common. As a result, they began wearing less armor, carrying shorter swords, and in general adapting for greater mobility. However, hoplite warfare was in decline; there were three major battles in the Peloponnesian War, and none proved decisive. Instead there was increased reliance on naviesA navy is the branch of the military that operates primarily on water. Most (but not all) armed forces make considerable distinction between the land-based warfare of an Army, the sea-based warfare of a Navy, and the air-based warfare of an Air Force ofte, skirmishers, mercenariesA mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare exclusively for money, without any regard for ideological, national or political considerations. When the term is used to refer to a soldier in a regular national army, it is usually considered an, city walls, siege engineA siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Ancient siege engines The earliest siege engine was the battering ram, followed by the catapult in ancient Greece and the onager invens, and non-set piece tactics. These reforms made wars of attrition possible and greatly increased the casualties of battle. Many of them were combined by the brilliant general EpaminondasFor information about the modern board game of the same name, see Epaminondas (game). Epaminondas (c. 418- 362 BC), was a Theban general and statesman, born about 418 BC of a noble but impoverished family. For his education he was chiefly indebted to Lysi, whose tactics formed the basis for the Macedonian phalanxThe Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian empire. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Hellenistic period, although wars had evolved into mor of Philip II of Macedon, used as a back-up to his cavalry. These forces defeated the last major hoplite army, even then fairly reactionary, at the Battle of Chaeronea, after which Greece became part of the Macedonian empire.

Hoplite-style warfare was also practiced around the Mediterranean basin. Of particular note, the Etruscans usually fought with such militias, a practice they adopted from the Greek colonies. From this sort of warfare developed the Roman legion that was to dominate western military history for hundreds of years.