Gymnasts

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Gymneten ( Greek  γυμνήται , actually naked , traditionally the Spartan helots and children went naked, then as much as lightly armed) is the name of an ancient Greek military class . Their distinguishing feature was the lack of any protective weapons, since they were only intended for long-range combat as spear , bow and slingshot shooters. They belonged to the Psiloi unit .

In the armies of Greece since the Persian Wars, various types of riflemen appeared in place of lightly armed slaves . After the march of the ten thousand ( 401 BC ) they made up an essential part of the armies. The troops were usually recruited from those peoples who particularly distinguished themselves in the use of individual long-range weapons, such as B. the Cretans as archers, Rhodians and Thessalians as slingers.