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+--- Thread: Agrianian javelinmen (/showthread.php?tid=4205)
Agrianian javelinmen - Johnny Shumate - 11-24-2005
What type of clothing and arms/armour did these troops use? Did they retain their Thracian tunics and boots, or did they use Macedonian/Greek apparel?
Thanks,
Johnny
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - hoplite14gr - 11-24-2005
They are probably the people that adopted South-Greek customs more than the others in the area. They had also a higher proprtion of archers than others. The evolution would start from extemely Thrakic to Gercianised.
Isichios wrote that they traced their ancestry from the AGREIIS of Argos.
So their mane means that they were farmers (Greek: field= AGROS) and not just seminomadic sheep-herders. More on their uniforms as my research progresses.
Kind regards
Stefanos
re - Johnny Shumate - 07-14-2006
By the time of Alexander, I would assume they wore standard Greek clothing (sun hat, chiton, chalmys) and carried as weapons a pelta, sword and several javelins. Also, boots for the feet. Would there be archers and slingers in the group(Alexander's army)?
Johnny
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - conon394 - 07-14-2006
Philip and Alexander deployed their archers in separate units 1000 Cretans and 1000 Macedonian Archers.
re - Johnny Shumate - 07-14-2006
Paul,
Thanks for pointing that out...
Who were the slingers at the battle of Issus that drove off the Persian left..? Agrianians..?
Johnny
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - conon394 - 07-15-2006
Where do you get slingers on the Macedonian right?
I looks to me like Alexander used only the Agrianians and Archers to drive back the Persian flanking attempt.
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - Arthes - 07-15-2006
At Gaugamela I think Alexander had 1,000 Agrianians positioned with the Hypaspists
He generally seemed to to send the Agrianians in to fight skirmishes along with the Psoloi...
At Issus the Paionians were with the Prodroimoi on the left...whether that is the Agrianians I don't know...a group of Agrianians were sent to attack the Persian far left flank
He did use Agrianian archers in India as well as javelinmen...
regards
Arthes
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - Arthes - 07-16-2006
.........Arrian states "At the same time he further strengthened his right by a contingent of Agrianes and Greek mercenaries which he drew up in line, and so outflanked the Persian left." (Arrian Book II, 9)
Either Agrianian or Thracian slingers
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - conon394 - 07-16-2006
Arthes
I am unclear on your last post why does 'Greek mercenaries' equate to slingers or too Thracian slingers? All the sources distinguish between the Thracian and the Greek mercenaries, and why assume the Thracians would be slingers hardly a role they were commonly found in...
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - Arthes - 07-16-2006
Quote:ArthesSorry, it was just the particular sentence from Arrian that said the Agrianians were positioned with the Greek mercenaries on the right...
I am unclear on your last post why does 'Greek mercenaries' equate to slingers or too Thracian slingers? All the sources distinguish between the Thracian and the Greek mercenaries, and why assume the Thracians would be slingers hardly a role they were commonly found in...
Thracian slingers did exist at that time, (Polyainos) I thought I saw a reference..
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - lupus - 07-16-2006
Greetings.
You must ("TNarcher") be more specific about WHAT Time you speaking about the Agriane tribe.
If you speaking about late Times, Phillip II & Alexander The GREAT's time, our dear Stefanos had answer perfectly already...
If you speaking about OLDER Times, that's another story...
Generally, about the Thracians, think about this:
Northern & Northern-Eastern tribes, "Highlanders", had more Thracian elements, Scythian elements and CELTIC too...
Southern tribes, OF COURSE, adopted many Greek elements; they were lived so near with the Greeks...
Regards.
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - hoplite14gr - 07-22-2006
Since the passage talks of "Greek mecernaries", then the slingers might be included in them. Thracian slingers were not unheard of but where uncommon. Sling was the animal herders´s weapon in mediteranean and midle east. Any culture could have them, although they would be uncommon or the exception in some of them.
Kind regards
Re: Agrianian javelinmen - lupus - 07-23-2006
Indeed, Stefane. Nice said.