Archaeological ruins and texts show that stiltwalking was practised in ancient Greece as far back as the 6th century BC. The ancient Greek word for a stilwalker was κωλοβαθριστής (kōlobathristēs),[7] from κωλόβαθρον (kōlobathron), "stilt",[8] a compound of κῶλον (kōlon), "limb"[9] and βάθρον (bathron), "base, pedestal".[10] Some stilts traditions are very old. In Belgium, stilt walkers of Namur fight on stilts since 1411.[11] The inhabitants of marshy or flooded areas sometimes use stilts for practical purposes, such as working in swamps or fording swollen rivers. The shepherds of the Landes region of southern France used to watch their flocks while standing on stilts to extend their field of vision, while townspeople often used them to traverse the soggy ground in their everyday activities.