Rhomphaia

[sitalkes]

The description of them of them 'discomfiting' the cavalry "[color=#0000FF]....the Thracians did very creditably against the Theban cavalry, which attacked them first and put up a good defence by adopting the tactics of their country, that is to say by charging out in detachments and then falling back again......

I find this sort of action hard to attribute to swordsmen or men equipped with rhomphaias - the "tactics of their country" were to charge out in detachments, throw javelins, then fall back again. That's not usually a successful tactic against cavalry. I think the Theban cavalry were light cavalry in inferior numbers, and this explains their relative lack of success, although they did inflict casualties on the Thracians and drove them off so they won the engagement.