Sciritae

The Sciritae or Skiritai or Skioreitai or Skioritai (Greek: Σκιρῖται and Σκιωρεῖται^[1]) were a people subject to Sparta, whose status is comparable to that of the Perioeci. Deriving their name from the town of

According to Stephanus of Byzantium and Hesychius of Alexandria, the Sciritae were of Arcadian origin. Their way of life was essentially rural: they mostly lived in villages, of which the biggest were Oion and Caryai. Their territory was inhospitable, but was of strategic importance for Sparta since it controlled the road to Tegea, which explains why it rapidly fell in Spartan hands. Their status was similar to that of the Perioeci, but Xenophon distinguished between them writing: "To meet the case of a hostile approach at night, he assigned the duty of acting as sentries outside the lines to the Sciritae. In these days the duty is shared by foreigners, if any happen to be present in the camp."^[2]

In war the Sciritae formed an

According to Suda, they were six hundred men and during the battle they were the first to engage and the last to withdraw.^[1]

In the