Thorakitai

Thorakitai means "Armoured" in Ancient Greek and refers to armoured soldiers of the middle and late hellenistic period. These soldiers were very similar to Thureophoroi in terms of their recruitment and origin, being primarily mercenaries or salaried soldiers coming from across the eastern mediterranean world, and also using the thureos shield. Like Thureophoroi, Thorakitai appear to be an response to changing battlefield tactics and strategy during the hellenistic age, however while Thureophoroi were a strategic response to a need for more mobile, versatile infantry, Thorakitai seem to have been a response to a need for more heavily armoured but similarly mobile infantry. It is often suggested that this development was a response to Rome, and this is easy to see, Thorakitai generally wear mail like a Roman soldier, they carry a short sword, javelins, helmet and oval shield, and their arrival in the hellenistic world coincides with a declining hellenistic world and a rising Roman Republic. However this does not necessarily mean it was a direct copying of Romans or that Thorakitai were "Imitation Legionaries" units but rather reflect a general transition of warfare in the hellenistic age, spurred on by the Roman expansion and decline of the Pike Phalanx.

In Ancient Empires, Thorakitai are similar to Thureophoroi, they can be recruited as mercenaries in the same provinces and come from the same populations, however they are usually unlocked a little later as units and may require a technological reform as they were a later development than Thureophoroi, being first mentioned in historical sources at the end of the 3rd century BC. Thorakitai units are all also capable of forming a tight formation or loose formation, while similarly being equipped with 4 javelins, but primarily use a sword rather than a spear. Thorakitai therefore fill a similar role to Thureophoroi but their heavier armour allows them to be used more aggresively and face stronger foes, and be used in brutal siege assaults, however this comes at the cost of higher recruitment and upkeep costs, particularly for mercenary Thorakitai.

 List of Thorakitai Units