A LARGE PLASTER BUST FRAGMENT OF A HOPLITE WARRIOR 20TH CENTURY Cast after a marble original from circa 480 - 470 b.c, found in 1926 120cm high Provenance: The Simon Neal Collection For another example of this cast please see the plaster copy of a fragment of a marble statue (known as Leonidas). Oxford, Ashmolean Museum Cat. No. B021. Armed with shields, plumed helmets and spears, Hoplites were ancient Greek foot soldiers who fought at close quarters with the enemy while maintaining a tight formation.