Ancient Greek warfare of the phalanx to its logical completion, arming his 'phalangites' (for they were assuredly not hoplites) with a fearsome pike, the 'sarissa'. Much more lightly armored, the Macedonian phalanx was not so much a shield-wall as a spear-wall. The Macedonian phalanx was a supreme defensive formation, but was not intended to be decisive offensively; instead, it was used to pin down the enemy infantry, whilst more mobile forces (such as cavalry) outflanked them. This 'combined arms' approach was furthered by the extensive use of skirmishers, such as peltasts. Tactically, Phillip absorbed the lessons of centuries of warfare in Greece. He
Thracian language by ancient sources considered explicitly of Thracian origin and known meaning An additional 180 Thracian words have been reconstructed. The proposed Thracian words in the Ancient Greek lexicon are not numerous. They include the "parth-" element in Parthenon; "balios" ("dappled"; < PIE "*bhel-", "to shine", Bul. "bel/bial" (бял) "white" or "bljaskav" 'bright, shiny'; Pokorny also cites Illyrian as a possible source, the non-Greek origin is argued on phonological grounds), "bounos", "hill, mound". The Thracian horseman hero was an important figure in Thracian religion, mythology, and culture. Depictions of the Thracian Horseman are found in numerous archaeological remains and artifacts from