The Thorakites was a soldier similar to thureophoroi

Thureophoroi

The thureophoroi was a type of infantry soldier, common in the 3rd to 1st century BCE, who carried a large oval shield called a thureos which had a type of metal strip boss and a central spine. They were armed with a long thrusting spear, javelins and a sword. They also usually wore an iron or...

. The literal translation of the term is curassiers, which suggests that they may have worn a short Celtic mail

Mail (armour)

Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....

 shirt or possibly a thorax

Linothorax

The linothorax was a type of upper body armor used by the Ancient Greeks, as well as other civilizations, from the Mycenaean Period through the Hellenistic Period. The earliest attested account of a linothorax used for battle is recorded in Book 2 of Homer's Iliad . It is worn by Ajax the lesser...

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Role

Thorakitai were used in armies of the Hellenistic Period in a variety of tactical situations. They were a type of armoured but mobile infantry who did not require a rigid formation to be effective in combat. From their name we can deduce that most wore armor and helmet. They bore a thureos

Thureos

A thureos was a large oval shield which was commonly used in Hellenistic armies from the 3rd BC on. It was adopted from the Galatians probably first by the Ilyrians, then by the Thracians before becoming common in Greece. Troops who carried it were known as thureophoroi. It was made of wood...

 (or thyreos), an oblong shield, and were armed with sword, javelins and spear, which were used according to their tactical use. It seems that the thorakitai were heavily armored thureophoroi, able to bear spears and do battle in a phalanx as well as irregularly attack the enemy in situations when such an action was required for tactical reasons, like to exploit or challenge rough terrain.

History

Thorakitai are mentioned in the army of the Achaian League  and in the Seleucid army

Seleucid army

The Seleucid army was the army of the Seleucid Empire, one of the numerous Hellenistic states that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great....

 . The Seleucid Thorakitai were used in the storming of the Elburz Range in 210 BC under Antiochus III. They were used with the lighter troops to climb the cliffs and fight hand to hand with the enemy who might have not been dislodged by the lighter troops in the assault . There is a tomb illustration from Sidon

Sidon

Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...

 showing what could well be a thorakites. The fragmentary inscription indicates that he was an Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

n.

Sources

• Head, Duncan (1982). Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars. WRG.
• Bar-Kochva, Brzalel (1979). The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the great campaigns. Cambridge University Press.
• Walbank, F.W. (1967). A Historical Commentary on Polybius, Volume III. Oxford University Press