Thureos

Fresco of an ancient Makedonian solidier bearing a thureos shield taken from the Archeological museum in Istanbul

A thureos (thoo-reh-os' ) was a large oval shield which was commonly used in Hellenistic armies from the 3rd century 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 covered with leather and had a spined boss. It was carried using a central handgrip. Some variants of the shield were nearly rectangular. The name thureos has its origin in the word for a door-stone or door-stop which may have been applied to it because of its size or sub-rectangular shape.

See also

• Hellenistic armies
• Antigonid Macedonian army