Ancient Greek mercenaries
There is evidence of
Mercenary troops from Caria and Ionia are known to have fought with Psamtik I against the Assyrians.[3] These were the "bronze men from the sea" whose arrival in Egypt, according to Herodotus, was foretold to Psamtik by an oracle. They entered the country as raiders but Psamtik made a truce with them and hired them to his cause. Afterwards, he granted land to them alongside the Nile and they are traditionally held to have been the first Greeks to settle in Egypt.[4]
In the
Through the 4th century BC, mercenaries were widely employed as is shown by the careers of such as Iphicrates, Chares and Charidemus. Many fought for the Persians when they reconquered Egypt. The majority of the Phocian army in the Third Sacred War were mercenaries. Philip II of Macedon was heavily reliant upon mercenaries until he had built up the Macedonian army which became his legacy to Alexander the Great. Alexander in his turn was confronted by Greek mercenaries when he invaded the Persian Empire. Mercenary service continued to flourish through the Hellenistic period.[2]
2nd millennium BC
The term misthophoros originally applied to someone who worked in return for payment by salary. That included hired labour and the word was very soon applied to hired professional soldiers and sailors.[5] Armed forces in Minoan Crete and Mycenae may essentially have been citizen armies and navies but, according to the Trojan War legend, the Mycenaeans relied heavily on their alliance with other Greek city-states. Whether or not either side employed mercenaries is open to speculation but what can be said is that complete details of the organisation and structure of Bronze Age armies are unclear to us and the employment of mercenaries cannot be excluded.[5]
After the Egyptian
7th century BC
In either 669 or 668 BC, the first
It is in the 7th century that mercenaries are mentioned in the lyric poetry works of Alcaeus and Archilochus.
Argos went into decline after the death of Pheidon c.655 but tyrannies became common throughout the Greek world, starting with
6th century BC
A noted Cretan mercenary of this time was Hybrias. He was also a lyric poet and left a skolion (drinking song) called the spear-song in which he proclaimed himself a great warrior: "I have great wealth – a spear, a sword and a fine shield to save my skin. With these I plough, I reap, I tread the sweet grapes and am called master of my serfs. All those that dare not hold the spear and sword and fine shield to save their skin, all bow and kiss my knee, calling me master and great king".[10]
5th century BC
Between the decline of the Archaic tyrants and the
4th century BC
Greek
Aristotle accepted that mercenaries were competent but he doubted their courage and loyalty. In his view, mercenaries "become cowards when the danger seems too great for them", being the "first to run" when defeat is imminent. Aristotle argued in favour of citizen soldiers who see flight from battle as a disgrace, preferring death with honour. Mercenaries, said Aristotle, "fear death more than shame".[10]
Notes
- ISBN 9780521762076.
- ^ a b c Speake 1994, p. 411
- ^ Bury & Meiggs 1975, p. 84
- ^ Herodotus 1975, p. 191, Book Two
- ^ a b c Skarmintzos, Stephanos (2018). "Ancient Greek Mercenaries in Antiquity". Academia. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ Drews 1995, p. 54
- ^ a b Bury & Meiggs 1975, p. 524
- ^ Bury & Meiggs 1975, p. 106
- ^ a b Bury & Meiggs 1975, pp. 107–108
- ^ a b c d Jones, Peter (16 January 2016). "The mercenaries of IS and ancient Greece". The Spectator. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ Marinovich 1975, p. 17
Sources
Books
- ISBN 0-333-15492-4.
- ISBN 0-691-02591-6.
- Speake, Graham, ed. (1994). Dictionary of Ancient History. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-044034-8.
- ISBN 0-14-051260-8.
- ISBN 0-14-044039-9.
- Marinovich, Lyudmila [in Russian] (1975). The Greek Mercenarism of the 4th Century B.C. and the Crisis of the Polis. Наука.
Online
- Skarmintzos, Stephanos (2018). "Ancient Greek Mercenaries in Antiquity". Academia. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Jones, Peter (16 January 2016). "The mercenaries of IS and ancient Greece". The Spectator. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Skarmintzos, Stephanos (2018). "How did the use of Mercenaries contribute to the decline of the Greek citizen-soldier during the Hellenistic period?". Academia. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- Cartwright, Mark (27 March 2018). "Ancient Greek Warfare". World History Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- O'Brien, Lorcan (16 August 2012). "Greek Mercenaries: Aspects of Greek Mercenary Warfare from the Earliest Times, and Case Studies on the Impact of Mercenaries on Warfare in the Fourth Century". WordPress. Retrieved 16 June 2018.