hypaspist

Etymology
From, from +  +.

Noun

 * 1)  A type of lightly armoured foot soldier equipped with an aspis (shield) and spear.
 * 2) * 1988 [CUP], A. B. Bosworth, Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great, (Canto), 1993, page 259,
 * The other major component of the Macedonian infantry was the corps of hypaspists. This force had evolved from the old bodyguard of the Macedonian kings and its nucleus, the agema, still acted as Alexander's guard when he fought on foot. The rest of the hypaspists were organised in chiliarchies (units of 1,000), perhaps three in number.
 * 1) * 2013, Michael Taylor, Antiochus the Great, (Pen & Sword Military), unnumbered page,
 * Perhaps fearful of blame in the event of failure, Lagoras asked that two of the King's favourites join the assault, Theodotus the Aetolian and Dionysius, the commander of the hypaspists, an elite subset of the Silver Shields.
 * Perhaps fearful of blame in the event of failure, Lagoras asked that two of the King's favourites join the assault, Theodotus the Aetolian and Dionysius, the commander of the hypaspists, an elite subset of the Silver Shields.

Usage notes

 * The role and status of hypaspists changed over time:
 * Initially, their role was that of shield bearer or squire.
 * By the time of the historian (5thC BCE), they had become high-status soldiers.
 * Under (4thC BCE), the hypaspists were considered an elite unit and were used to protect the flanks of the phalanx of phalangites, with their own flanks being protected by cavalry.
 * Under (4thC BCE), a special unit of hypaspists, recruited from the nobility, became the infantry component of the  (the king's personal bodyguard).
 * Among the Diadochi states of the Hellenistic period, hypaspists continued in name in the Seleucid, Ptolemaic and Antigonid armies, but with the roles of royal bodyguard and military administrator.
 * In Macedonia, the title went into disuse; however, in terms of status, equipment and role, the became virtually identical to what the hypaspist had been under Philip.