Ancient Greek mercenaries ( dr. Greek. Μισθοφόροι ) - the phenomenon of mercenarism flourished in the ancient world in the V century BC. e. after the Peloponnesian war . They replaced the polisno- tribal militia, turning the military craft into a profession. This was partly facilitated by the development of military art, the appearance of heavily armed hoplites and the construction of the phalanx . Mercenaries often became the personal guard of tyrants [1] . Subsequently, military settlements ( cleruchia ) were created to neutralize the negative aspects of mercenarism.
Content
In Egypt
The employers of Greek mercenaries often became the pharaohs of the Sais dynasty . The number of Greek mercenaries in Egypt reached 20 thousand and they occupied a separate quarter in Memphis . However, they were not always reliable defenders. So, Egypt was captured by the Persians of Cambyses II , largely due to the betrayal of the ancient Greek mercenaries, led by Fanes of Halicarnassus .
In Babylonia
The poem of Alkey (VII-VI century BC) is known, which is addressed to his brother-mercenary Antimenides, who served in Babylon . The poet attributes to him a victory over an enemy warrior almost five cubits in height. Perhaps the recruitment of Greek mercenaries took place back in the time of Asarhaddon [2] .
In Persia
Xenophon tells about the place and role of the ancient Greek mercenaries in the Achaemenid state in the autobiographical work “ Anabasis Kira ”, according to which they were recruited as a guard of satraps . One of the satraps, Cyrus the Younger , managed to gather a significant army from the Greeks (10 thousand) and tried to seize power in Persia. The famous Greek mercenary in the service of the Persians was Memnon of Rhodes , who took an active part in resisting Macedonian aggression. Greek mercenaries took part in the Battle of Gaugamela . On the Persian side, about 2,000 Greeks fought under the command of two strategists : the Phocian Patron and the Etolian Glaucus [3] .
In Carthage
Greek mercenaries also proved themselves during the First Punic War , fighting against the Romans on the side of the Carthaginians . The Spartan strategist Xanthippus was given special powers and he actually led the army . Polybius mentions a mercenary from Achaea named Alexon , who served in the Carthaginian garrison of Lilibey [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Alexandrov, 1995 , p. 28.
- ↑ Yailenko V.P. Archaic Greece and the Middle East . - M .: Nauka, 1990 .-- S. 190. - 271 p. - ISBN 5-02-016456-9 .
- ↑ Arrian . Anabasis Alexandra , III. 16.
- ↑ Polybius. Universal History , I, 43.
Literature
- Marinovich L.P. Greek mercenaries of the 4th century BC e. and the crisis of the policy . - M .: Nauka, 1975 .-- 277 p. - 3000 copies.
- Park, Herbert William. Greek mercenaries. “Dogs of War” of Ancient Hellas = Greek Mercenary Soldiers: From the Earliest Time to the Battle of Ipsus / Per. from English L. A. Igorevsky. - M .: Centerpolygraph, 2013 .-- 288 p. - 2500 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9524-5093-6 .
- Aleksandrov M.A. Mercenaries in the service of tyrants in the archaic era (VIII-VI centuries BC) // Antique policy. Problems of socio-political organization and ideology of ancient society / Editor E. D. Frolov . - SPb. : Publishing House of St. Petersburg University, 1995. - S. 28-40 . - ISBN 5-288-01316-0 .
- Gyro, Paul . 8. Mercenaries; 12. The head of the mercenaries // Private and public life of the Greeks / Per. with fr. N.I. Likhareva. - SPb. : Edition t-va O. N. Popova, 1915.
- Trundle, Matthew. Greek Mercenaries: From the Late Archaic Period to Alexander . - New York: Taylor & Francis, 2004 .-- 224 p. - ISBN 0-203-32347-5 .