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Short description

Rearmed, restructured and retrained by Aratos and Philopoimen, the Achaian Thureophoroi have become an efficient dual-role infantry force.

Description

Rearmed, restructured and retrained by Aratos and Philopoimen, the Achaian Thureophoroi have become an efficient dual-role infantry force. These men are equipped with normal sized Thureos shields, javelins and a thrusting spear and protected by Linothorakes, helmets (mainly of the Pilos type) and greaves instead of the boots of their predecessors. They have also received better training and are a mix of (former) mercenaries and citizen soldiers. Their shield displays a goat above the Alpha and Chi, the letters of Achaia.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Though the Achaian League apparently retained a corps of foreign mercenaries armed as Thureophoroi from the 270s BC onwards, these troops were less well armed than the Thureophoroi of other Greek states and thus mainly served as skirmishers. Towards the end of the century, however, the Achaians increasingly realised their need for a heavier corps of line infantry that could be supported by the few elite troops of the federation and the remaining skirmishers and hoplites of the member Poleis. After all, the victory in the Kleomenean War (229-222 BC) had decided the power struggle between the Achaian League and Sparta on the Peloponnese and as the junior partner of a strong Macedonian kingdom, the Achaians could wield considerable influence throughout Greece. With great power comes great responsibility. The position of both Achaians and Macedonians would soon be challenged by the Aitolian League, who not only sponsored two further Lakedaimonian uprisings against the Achaian grip on the Peloponnese, but would eventually also invite a foreign power into Greece: Rome.

In short, in the years from 275 to 222 BC, the Achaian League had risen from a peripheral confederation on the outskirts of the Peloponnese to one of the central actors of the Greek world. This political development was not matched by military advances, and after the Kleomenean War the situation became even worse. The Strategos Eperatos was unable to satisfy both the needs of the mercenary army and the citizens, who were not happy to pay taxes for the foreigners. At the same time, tensions with the Aitolian League rose and the Achaians were plunged into the Social War (220-217 BC). At the end of the war, the confederation was weakened and even its long-time leader Aratos of Sikyon (ca. 271-213 BC), who had relied on skirmishing tactics (Anderson, Philopoemen's Reform 1967, p. 106), realised that the Achaians needed to restructure their infantry. The Achaian historian Polybios describes the events of the summer of 217 BC in the following way:

“Aratos had found the mercenary forces of the Achaians disaffected and the cities not at all disposed to tax themselves for the purpose of maintaining them, a state of matters due to the incompetent and careless manner in which his predecessor Eperatos had (...) conducted the affairs of the League. 5 However, he made an appeal to the Achaians, and obtaining a decree on the subject, occupied himself actively with preparations for war. 6 The substance of the decree was as follows. They were to keep up a mercenary force of eight thousand foot and five hundred horse and a picked Achaian force of three thousand foot and three hundred horse, 7 including five hundred foot and fifty horse from Megalopolis, all brazen-shielded, and an equal number of Argives. 8 They also decided to have three ships cruising off the Akte and in the Gulf of Argolis and three more in the neighbourhood of Patrao and Dyme and in those seas.” (Polyb. V, 91, 4-8)

Even though the decree does not state how the mercenaries were armed, it is very likely that a majority were Thureophoroi and that the number of Thureophoroi was thereby considerably increased. This revision of the Thureophoroi Corps was completed by Aratos’ successor Philopoimen (253-183 BC), probably when he was Strategos of the League in 208/207 BC. For the ancient sources tell us that Philopoimen was well aware that the smaller Thureoi of his troops were ill-suited for melee, and while the authors (Plut. Philopoimen 9, 1-5; Polyaen. VI, 4, 3) focus on the introduction of the Macedonian phalanx, the Thureophoroi were undoubtedly retained and re-armed to support the heavier Achaian Thorakitai (mentioned in his army e.g. in Polyb. XI, 11) not only as skirmishers, but also as main line troops.

Therefore, these men are equipped with normal-sized Thureos shields, javelins and a thrusting spear and protected by Linothorakes, helmets (mainly of the Pilos type) and greaves instead of the boots of their predecessors. They have also received better training and are a mix of (former) mercenaries and citizen soldiers. Their shield displays a goat above the Alpha and Chi, the letters of Achaia. The goat may be an allusion to a myth according to which Zeus was fed by the goat Amaltheia as a baby (Hes. Theog. 484), since Zeus Homarios was the chief deity of the Achaian League.