pelte

According to Aristotle, the pelte was rimless and covered in goat or sheep skin.

They are not, however, to be confused with the skirmisher troops of the same name, denoted by their shield, the pelte.

The genus is named for the Greek pelte meaning small shield and ops meaning face.

Lightly armored warriors relying on speed and surprise would generally carry light shields (pelte) that were either small or thin.

In Greece sources these troops are called either peltasts or 'peltophoroi' (bearers of pelte).

Peltasts were armed with wicker shields called pelte, which were much lighter, allowing for greater movement on the battlefield.

Instead, the phalangites strapped a smaller pelte shield (usually reserved for light skirmishers - peltasts) to their left forearm.

Peltasts carried a crescent-shaped wicker shield called a pelte (Latin: peltarion) as their main protection, hence their name.

In addition, he replaced the heavy hoplon/aspis with a lighter pelte that could be strapped to the forearm, freeing the left hand to help hold the lengthened spears.

The name is derived from the Greek words ura ("tail") and pelte ("shield"), indicating the presence of the large keratinous shield at the tip of the tail.

The Lykian sarcophagas of Payava from about 400 BCE depicts a soldier carrying a round pelte but using a thrusting spear overarm.

Though it may seem strange for a unit that would fight in phalanx formation to be called 'peltasts', 'pelte' would not be an inappropriate name for a Macedonian shield.

Peltobatrachus (from Greek pelte, meaning shield and batrakhos, meaning frog) is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibians from the late Permian period of Tanzania.

He owes his fame as much to the improvements he made in the equipment of the peltasts or light-armed mercenaries (named for their small pelte shield) as to his military successes.

A few illustrations of the early 3rd century BC still show a small round pelte shield in use but by the mid-3rd century BC it has been replaced by the thureos.

During and after the Peloponnesian Wars, the use and importance of light troops increased with the introduction of the peltasts: lightly armoured, if at all, and armed with javelins and a shield, the pelte.

The collar of the Order is of gold in the form of eleven gold swords in blue enamelled scabbards with gold belts connected by gold chains and alternating with eleven gold pelte shields each bearing a blue enamelled helmet .

Some authorities, such as J.G.P. Best, state that these later "peltasts" were not truly peltasts in the traditional sense, but lightly armored hoplites carrying the pelte shield in conjunction with longer spears-a combination that has been interpreted as a direct ancestor to the Macedonian phalanx.