Light Infantry of the Greek and Roman World: Forgotten Heroes of Ancient Warfare

Ancient battle narratives tend to remember heavily armed infantry and cavalry. Yet soldiers carrying bows, slings and javelins had work to do long before armies met in a pitched battle: scouting, skirmishing, raiding and protecting troops on the move.

Jean Charl Du Plessis considers light infantry across the Greek and Roman worlds, including specialists such as Cretan archers and Balearic slingers. Campaigns in difficult terrain and attacks on supply lines give these troops a significance that accounts focused on decisive battles can miss. Drawing on practical experiments with ancient weapons, including the javelin’s amentum throwing strap, he also investigates range, impact and the skill needed to use missile weapons effectively.