11-20-2010, 08:13 PM
Quote:You didn't address my second point namely: Is "Ionians/Greeks who bear [leather?] shields" really a distinctive name or even an appropriate name for any group? Couldn't there be "Baktrians who bear [leather?] shields", "Egyptians who bear [leather?] shields", or "Saka who bear [leather?] shields", etc., etc. Just about every ancient people had leather shields. It is almost as universal as saying "Ionians/Greeks who have feet".
I'm not a linguist or an iranologist, so I can't comment directly on this debate, but this particular issue seems clearly resolved. "Greeks who bear leather shields" very well could be a group name if it distinguished them from other Greeks the Persians were aware of who used different kinds of shields. Since the majority of Greeks didn't normally bear leather shields, it is not implausible that the Macedonians (if this name is referring to the Macedonians) at this time were distinguished from them by their more Thracian-like use of small leather shields.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
