Agrianes

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The Agrianians (Ancient Greek: Agrianes) were a Paionian tribe, who chiefly inhabited an area north of the Thracian Maedi. They were crack javelin throwers and the elite unit of Alexander the Great's light infantry, who fought under the command of General Attalus. They carried a bundle of javelins into battle and wore no armor, perhaps not even a shield. Alexander made heavy use of them whereby every time he dispatched a flying column, the Agrianians were always included. They were supplied by the client king Langarus and were expert fighters in mountainous terrain where the phalanx was impracticable. Being the elite unit of the light infantry, they often took their place with the hypaspists battalion and the companion cavalry at the right wing of the army. At the Battle of Gaugamela their numerical strength was 1000.