Hoplite’s were soldiers of the Ancient Greek Army, and were organized and efficiently fought in groups called the Phalanx. They wore armor to protect the most vital areas of their body, they carried a thrusting spear between 6 to 10 feet in length,  a Corinthian-style helmet, and their symbolic Hoplite Shield.

The shield was made with wood and bronze, weighed between 12 to 15 pounds, and was a large circle that covered from the lower face to the mid knee.  The armor of the warriors was unified, but the the designs of the shields were varied.  The designs would symbolize their city-state, their family, or their personality.  We can look at these shields as mnemonic devices to represent the warrior.

When a warrior would go off to war, the mother of the soldier would yell ” Come back with your shield – or on it” (Plutarch, Mor.241).  It was ok to return without a helmet but not without your shield, “because the latter they put on for their own protection, but the shield for the common good of all.” (Plutarch, Mor.220).

For this exercise you will be designing your own Spartan Shield in Photoshop.  Think about the following questions as they relate to: your family, your city, or your personality.

1. Use these 3 Elements to create your design, and write two sentences on why you made those selections.

A.  Color

B.  Symbol

C.  Texture

2.  Make your image web safe in Photoshop, below is the tutorial.

http://www.justinhoffman.net/introtoweb/how-do-i-make-an-image-web-safe/

3.  Upload your image to Moodle

4. Upload your document with your sentences to Moodle