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Originally Posted by Steve Jackson
I love the idea of using 54mm figures for a convention demo. Looking on eBay I found this guy:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TIN-HISTORY...-/262905823176
How do you suppose he uses that weapon combo? Throws one spear, fights with the other one-handed? Shield is very passive in that case. Shield is for emergencies in case his second spear gets cut up? Hm. |
The figure appears to be a Thracian Peltast (as opposed to a "Tracian Plant"); and here's what Wikipedia has to say about them:
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Originally Posted by Wikipedia
Peltasts carried a crescent-shaped wicker shield called a pelte (Latin: peltarion) as their main protection, hence their name. According to Aristotle, the pelte was rimless and covered in goat or sheep skin. Some literary sources imply that the shield could be round, but in art it is usually shown as crescent-shaped. It also appears in Scythian art and may have been a common type in Central Europe. The shield could be carried with a central strap and a hand grip near the rim or with just a central hand-grip. It may also have had a carrying strap (or baldric) as Thracian peltasts slung their shields on their backs when evading the enemy. Peltasts' weapons consisted of several javelins (akontia), which may have had throwing straps to allow more force to be applied to a throw.
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When faced by hoplites, peltasts operated by throwing javelins at short range. If the hoplites charged, the peltasts would retreat. As they carried considerably lighter equipment than the hoplites, they were usually able to evade successfully, especially in difficult terrain. They would then return to the attack once the pursuit ended, if possible, taking advantage of any disorder created in the hoplites' ranks.
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I would presume that they kept a ready supply of javelins somewhere where they could easily access more when they expended the ones they carried... And a javelin could be used in personal combat as a short spear, something like a Zulu's Assegai, if they were forced to fight man-to-man (though a Peltast's job was to get away and return again to harass the enemy further). (Edited to add: I believe they also used slings during the Roman Empire period, though they weren't comparable in expertise with Balearic Slingers in their use.)