Now we move on to the psiloi, light infantry.
We are going to focus on two types that are most applicable to our mock battlefield. They are illustrated below - the toxotai (archers) and akontistai (javelineers).
For archers, the standard bow would be a recurve bow. However, we don't need to get so picky for our mock battlefields. The Bear Archery Firebird Youth Bow is just about perfect for battle gaming. Pair it with 28" carbon arrows. Remove any points from the arrows and add a foam arrowhead, like the ones sold by Gorg.
Next, let's turn to the javelineer. Note that he carries two javelins (throwing spears). Javelins are constructed differently than standard infantry spears. Again, you can purchase or make your own (see the heavy infantry post for links). Also note that the javelineer is carrying a shield. We recommend that our light infantry javelineers carry a small shield, 18 to 20" in diameter, called a buckler.
While light infantry's primary arms are missile weapons, they would also carry melee weapons in case the fray got up close. Levantia mentions that light infantry carried a sidearm called a makhaira (knife).
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| A makhaira (aka Makh the Knife?) |
In the illustration, it appears very similar to a Saxon seax. We can represent it with a short "blue" sword.
Let's discuss one last missile weapon - the plumbata, a lead-weighted dart.
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| A plumbata |
The Roman historian Vegetius mentioned that legionnaires would carry five of these darts in the hollow of their shield. Thus, It seems that this is a missile weapon applicable to both light and heavy infantry. One interesting aspect of these weapons is that it seems they were thrown underhand in a high arc. They would rain down on the enemy as it approached the Imperial line.
As far as acquiring some for our mock battles, we won't find any foam plumbata for sale. Instead, the Legion intends to craft some using the plans for Amtgard throwing weapons.
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