The ''dory'' or ''doru '' (; el, δόρυ) is a

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...

that was the chief spear of

hoplite Hoplites ( ) ( grc, ὁπλίτης : hoplítēs) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The ...

s (heavy infantry) in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...

. The word "''dory'' was first attested by

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

with the meanings of "wood" and "spear". Homeric heroes hold two ( el, δόρατα, link=no, plural of ) (Il. 11,43, Od. 1, 256). In the Homeric epics and in the classical period the dory was a symbol of military power, possibly more important than the sword, as can be inferred from expressions like "Troy conquered by dory" (Il. 16,708) and words like " ( el, δορίκτητος, link=no) (spear-won) and " ( el, δορυάλωτος, link=no) (spear-taken). The spear used by the Persian army under

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

and Xerxes in their respective campaigns during the

Greco-Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of th ...

was shorter than that of their Greek opponents. The ''dory''s length enabled multiple ranks of a formation to engage simultaneously during combat. The ''dory'' was not a

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with the ...

. However, its aerodynamic shape allowed the dory to be thrown. Because it had evolved for combat between phalanges (the plural form of ''phalanx''), it was constructed so as to be adequate against the defences of Greek infantry, which incorporated

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

in shield and helmet construction. Hoplites were generally more heavily armored than infantry of their non-Greek contemporaries.

Details

The dory was about in length and had a handle with a diameter of made of wood, either cornel or

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

weighing . The flat leaf-shaped spearhead was composed of iron and its weight was counterbalanced by an iron butt-spike. (cf

Sarissa The sarisa or sarissa ( el, σάρισα) was a long spear or pike about in length. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in his Macedonian phalanxes as a replacement for the earlier dory, which was considerably shorter. The ...

) The point part of the spear was called αἰχμή and ἀκωκή and λόγχη. The rear of the spear was capped with a spike called a ( el, σαυρωτήρ, link=no). It was also called ouriachos (οὐρίαχος) and styrax (στύραξ) or styrakion (στυράκιον).A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin, Ed., Hasta
/ref> It functionally served as a counter-weight to give balance. This spike had several uses. It could be used to stand the spear up or used as a secondary weapon if the spearhead was broken off. If the shaft of the ''dory'' was broken or if the iron point was lost, the remaining portion could still function. Though its combat range would be reduced, the ''dory''s complete length would have lessened the chance of a single break rendering it ineffective. Additionally, any enemies that had fallen could be dispatched by the warriors marching over them in the back ranks of the

phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...

who were holding their spears in a vertical position. A dory was kept in a case which was called δορατοθήκη or δουροδοθήκη or δουροθήκη or δοροθήκηIouliou Polydeukous Onomastikon en bibliois deka
/ref> (meaning "dory case") and δουροδόκηHenry George Liddell, Robert Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, Dourodokh
/ref> or δορυδόκη (meaning "dory rack"). Homer called it σύριγξ, meaning pipe because of the form of the case.

References

{{Pole weapons Ancient Greek military equipment Ancient Greek military terminology Polearms

Details

See also

References