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Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

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THE PELTASTS. 143erally refers to bodies by <strong>the</strong>proper name <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir comm<strong>and</strong>ers,—a much more convenientterm.Slaves, who accompanied <strong>the</strong>phalanx in great numbers, carried<strong>the</strong> rations, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong>tenarms, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> heavy cavalry <strong>and</strong>infantry,which weighed <strong>from</strong>sixty pounds up<strong>war</strong>ds ;thoughat times <strong>the</strong>se camp followers% must have been vastly reducedg in number by incidents <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>% service, as <strong>the</strong>y now <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>nCO^ were by direct orders, in which^^case <strong>the</strong> hoplite was remitted tocarrying his own arms <strong>and</strong> ra-Ktions.Behind this heavy sarissaarmedinfantry (pezetseri) <strong>the</strong>rewere ranked, as a rule, half <strong>the</strong>number <strong>of</strong> peltasts, in files eightdeep, thus occupying <strong>the</strong> samefront space. The reader shallbe spared <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>peltast subdivisions <strong>and</strong> comm<strong>and</strong>ers.The organization resembledthat <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phalanx.The peltast was a light infantryman,half way between<strong>the</strong> psilos <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> hoplite, <strong>origin</strong>ated by Iphicrates <strong>of</strong> A<strong>the</strong>ns,bearing a small shield (pelte), short pike <strong>and</strong> sword,<strong>and</strong> wearing a broad metal belt, which protected <strong>the</strong> abdom-

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