Dissertation committee:
Ελένη Ψωμά, καθηγήτρια Τμήματος Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Σοφία Ανεζίρη, αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια Τμήματος Ιστορίας και
Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Κωνσταντίνος Μπουραζέλης, ομότιμος καθηγητής Τμήματος Ιστορίας και
Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Νικόλαος Γιαννακόπουλος, αναπληρωτής καθηγητής Τμήματος Ιστορίας και
Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Ευρυδίκη Κεφαλίδου, αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια Τμήματος Ιστορίας και
Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Αμφιλόχιος Παπαθωμάς, καθηγητής Τμήματος Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρία-Γαβριέλλα Παρισάκη, κύρια ερευνήτρια Ινστιτούτου Ιστορικών
Ερευνών, ΕΙΕ
Summary:
The thesis entitled "The military corps of the Peltasts Classical Age (5th century to 349 BC) has the following objectives: First, to search for and identify warriors of earlier periods who had javelin throwing as a key activity in warfare. At the same time, an attempt will be made to compare their equipment and armament with the corresponding equipment and armament of the peltasts in order to identify any similarities between them, with due regard to the proportions. Furthermore, it is to be studied when, where and why the ancient Greeks began to fight in this particular way. This approach will be done by using literary evidence, where it survives, but also by using archaeological finds, so as to cross-check this information, if possible. Secondly, a thorough presentation of the battles in which the Peltasts participated will be made, in order to assess the contribution of the Pelasgians to the final outcome of the specific battles. In other words, the effectiveness and influence of the infantrymen on the battlefields will be examined. Thirdly, the contribution of the peltasts to the development of the tactical and strategic approach of the ancient Greeks to war will be examined. Did the participation of the peltasts in the battles influence the tactical and strategic perception of the ancient Greeks? In what way did this happen and under what conditions did this happen? These are some of the questions that will be asked. Fourthly, the ethnological origins of the participants in the military corps of the Peltasts will be sought wherever possible, in order to ascertain whether the military corps of the Pelastasites were mercenary corps or whether they were military corps composed of citizens of the Greek city-states. Fifthly, the contribution of the Peltasts to the development of ancient Greek military technology will be investigated, with the development of new weapons and shields that are exclusively related to the military corps of the Pelastassians. This could be done by using both literary evidence and archaeological finds in order to cross-check the findings as far as possible.
This dissertation consists of eight (8) chapters including the introduction where the above is discussed, and there are six (6) other chapters which include a chronology, lists, and bibliography. An evaluative hierarchy of the literary evidence related to the military corps of the Peltasts and Spearmen is provided. Immediately afterwards follows a chapter devoted to the Homeric world, because it is in this period that the use of telegraphic weapons, such as the spear of the Pelastasites, is identified for the first time, while at the same time written evidence of the same period is preserved. Homer's epics in combination with the archaeological finds of the period provide enough information both about the equipment of the Homeric heroes and about the way they fought. Thus, at the end of this chapter, a comparison is made with the equipment and armament of the Pelastans and their way of fighting, in order to identify the common elements between Homeric warriors and Pelastans. The next chapter is devoted to the presence of the Peltasts in the battles of the Peloponnesian War. These are presented in detail, as there are surviving literary accounts with descriptions of them. The role of the peltasts and their contribution to the outcome of each battle is then examined. Apart from the above, the ethnological origin of these men is examined for as many cases as there is available evidence so that, if possible, conclusions can be drawn from this fact as well. After the listing of all the battles of the Peloponnesian War in which bodies of spearmen and pikemen participated, an attempt is made to assess the contribution of the pikemen to the development of the Greeks' martial art in the 5th century, as well as their contribution to the development of the tactical and strategic art of the ancient Greeks.
The next chapter presents the battles fought by the Pelstatists in the context of Cyrus' campaign. First, the numerical proportion of the soldiers who participated in it is presented. Then, the ethnic composition of the Pelastassians and their connection with regions of Greece is recorded. Immediately afterwards, each battle in which the Pelastassians participated is listed. Their role in these battles and their contribution to the final outcome of the battle is then recorded. After completing the presentation of the battles associated with the Peltasts, the chapter concludes with an overall assessment of the contribution of the Peltasts to the Myrian campaign.
The sixth chapter deals with the activity of the peltasts during the first half of the fourth century. This chapter also has a similar structure to the two previous ones, presenting the battles and the role of the peltasts in them, and finally evaluating the contribution of the peltasts to their outcome. In addition, this chapter describes the role played by the peltasts.
The seventh chapter focuses on the depictions of fossils on vases. The causes of this phenomenon are analysed, and all possible variations of the iconographic type of the Peltasts are presented, which as a whole are linked to the region of Thrace, where the military corps of the Peltasts appeared. Finally, the eighth chapter draws the final conclusions about the Peltasts. The objective difficulties that arose during the scientific research are recorded and directions for future research are suggested.
Keywords:
Ancient Greece, military, peltasts, Iphicrates, Demosthenes, Brasidas, pelte
