By Francis Shem Barnett
In the large battles, which though rare in Classical Greece were usually decisive, peltasts played a very minor role. We hear for example that Agesilaos had superior numbers of peltasts at the battle of Coronaea in 394 - but Xenophon does not mention them at all in his description of the battle. [Hell. 4.3.15]. Again, peltasts are mentioned as being present on the Theban side at Delium, but they seem to have played no discernable role in the battle. Though large set-piece battles were few and far between, we have many instances of peltasts fighting in smaller battles or engagements. There follows a summary of their performance in these conflicts. No matter where they fought, peltasts generally fought in the same manner. They were chiefly skirmishers, using missiles to wear down the enemy and avoiding hand-to-hand confrontation when it was not to their advantage - when Versus Hoplites In 398, some Bithynian Thracians showed a force of hoplites how deadly the peltast could be when using skirmishing tactics in the right circumstances: "The Bithynians gave way whenever the Greeks rushed forth, and easily escaped, being peltasts fleeing from hoplites; they kept throwing javelins from both sides and struck many of them down at each sally. In the end the Greeks were shot down like cattle shut up in a pen."[Hell. 3.2.4]. We also know from Xenophon that in the 390s, prior to their success at Lechaeum, Iphikrates' peltasts had defeated Mantinaean hoplites. [Hell. 4.4.16]. Peltasts combined well with other missile troops such as toxotoi and psiloi. At Sphakteria, Thucydides described the tactics of Demosthenes used against the Spartans there. He had a force of 800 peltasts and the same number of archers, as well as psiloi.
Aided by cavalry, peltasts were also very effective. Thucydides here tells us how Cleon's army in Thrace was finally destroyed by peltasts and cavalry combined:
Here Thucydides describes peltasts acting in concert with psiloi and cavalry:
However, the encumbered hoplite could pose a serious threat to the peltast if the former were well trained. Describing Iphikrates' peltasts, Xenophon says: "But the peltasts in their turn were so afraid of the Lakedaimonians that they did not come within a javelin's throw of the hoplites. For it had once happened that the younger men among the Lakedaimonians, pursuing even from so great a distance as that, overtook and killed some of them." This is an instance of ekdromoi performing their function admirably. Peltasts perhaps performed best when combined with hoplites, as at Lechaeum, and as for example occurred with Thrasyllus' peltasts in 409 in Ionia: "Thereupon the peltasts and two companies of the hoplites came to the aid of their light troops and killed almost all a of the men from Miletus; they also captured about two hundred shields and set up a trophy."[Hell. 1.2.3]. This engagement produced a very high proportion of casualties. Even when peltasts could not break the enemy, harassment tactics could frustrate an opponent to the point of demoralization, as happened to the Thebans in the 370s when opposed by Spartan-led peltasts:
Note that the entire Theban army was present; this would have included their cavalry (at this time numbering 1,100), which was of high quality. Versus Cavalry When fighting in the open, peltasts performed poorly versus cavalry.
A few years later, during Agesilaos' invasion of Boeotia:
A tactic sometimes used by peltasts fighting cavalry was to open up their ranks and let the horsemen pass through them, attacking the latter as they did so. During the march of the Ten Thousand, Xenophon describes one such incident: "Tissaphernes had not taken to flight in the first encounter, but had charged along the river into the Greek peltasts. He did not kill any though, for the Greeks, after opening a gap for his men, proceeded to deal blows and throw javelins upon them as they went by."[An. 1.10.7]. However, if followed closely by friendly hoplites, peltasts could be effective against cavalry: "Therefore, after sacrificing, he immediately led his phalanx against the enemy line of cavalry, ordering the first ten year-classes of hoplites to run to close quarters with the enemy, and telling the peltasts to lead the way at double-time."[Hell. 3.4.23]. This charge broke the Persians. For further details on Greek cavalry see this authors article `Classical Greek Cavalry - a Reassessment' in Strategikon Vol. I Iss.4. The Peltast in Classical Greece
What is a Peltast? Speed and Maneuverability Equipment and Function Effectiveness in Battle Conclusion and Bibliography Peltasts in Action Diagram (27K) Peltasts on Attic Amphora (86K) Peltasts on Attic Cup (73K) Back to Strategikon Vol. 2 No. 2 Table of Contents Back to Strategikon List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by NMPI This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com |