peltast

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Related to Peltasts: Hydaspes

peltast

(ˈpɛltæst)
n
(Historical Terms) (in ancient Greece) a lightly armed foot soldier
[C17: from Latin peltasta, from Greek peltastēs soldier equipped with a pelta, a small leather shield]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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References in periodicals archive ?
For example, he states that prior to Phillip, Macedonian infantry "were little more than untrained peasants," when most likely Macedonian tribesmen resembled the peltasts of their neighbors.
Hoplites, peltasts, or archers stationed on Sphakteria could no more command the entrance to Navarino Bay or attack the mainland than they could attack the Athenians at Pylos.
Greek peltasts, Roman pilum-armed legionnaires, Parthian horse archers, Welsh longbows at Agincourt and Crecy.
kings, senechals, satraps, seraphs, jesters, fletchers, peltasts, potters,