![]() Long after the Persian Wars, later Greek sources also mention the Immortals. The Immortals did not overcome the far heavier hoplite armor and formidable defense of the Spartans and their allies, but that does not diminish their status as the best troops from a mighty empire and a great army. ![]() When they joined battle with the Hellenes, they fared neither better nor worse than the Median army, since they used shorter spears than the Hellenes and could not use their numbers fighting in a narrow space.” It was thought that they would easily accomplish the task. “When the Medes had been roughly handled, they retired, and the Persians whom the king called Immortals, led by Hydarnes, attacked in turn. In battle, their most iconic engagement came when the Immortals were used as shock-troops in an attempt to force the Pass of Thermopylae from the indomitable Spartans: “… the Persians were equipped in this way: they wore on their heads loose caps called tiaras, and on their bodies embroidered sleeved tunics, with scales of iron like the scales of fish in appearance, and trousers on their legs for shields, they had wicker bucklers, with quivers hanging beneath them they carried short spears, longbows, and reed arrows, and daggers that hung from the girdle by the right thigh.” Ī relief of Persian Warriors from Persepolis, Via Wikimedia Commons Famous within the Persian army for their status, prestige, and fighting qualities, it is also clear that Herodotus himself - the so-called father of history - was fascinated with them. This body was a true elite, both socially and militarily. Camels and sumpter beasts carried their provisions, apart from that of the other soldiers”. They were followed by litters, wherein rode their concubines, and by a numerous train of attendants handsomely dressed. Besides their arms, … they glittered all over with gold, vast quantities of which they wore all over their persons. “Of all these troops the Persians were adorned with the greatest magnificence, and they were likewise the most valiant. “Hydarnes son of Hydarnes was general of these picked ten thousand Persians, who were called Immortals for this reason: when any one of them was forced to fall out of the number by death or sickness, another was chosen so that they were never more or fewer than ten thousand.”Īlthough Xerxes could call upon seemingly endless nations of men to join his vast armies, it is clear that the Immortals formed the prestigious nucleus of his forces: They were in a collective sense “immortal,” and we learn of them mainly through their prominent role in King Xerxes ’ invasion of Greece in the 5 th Century BCE. A picked body of purely Persian-born troops that served the King of Kings as both an elite bodyguard and as a formidable battlefield reserve.Īlso known as the 10,000, this was a hand-picked unit of men that was consistently replenished to replace any losses, never diminishing. ![]() The unit that concerns us is the famed elite guard of the Persian kings, the Immortals. As a civilization, this was a true powerhouse of the ancient world, dominating many nations in what we now call the Middle East and Asia Minor. The first of our ancient elite military units comes from the Achaemenid Empire (c. ![]() Ancient Elite Military Units: The Immortals Of Persia Persian Immortals from Palace Walls at Susa, Via Wikimedia Commons “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”ġ. Many states engaged in warfare politically, some for purely financial reasons, while others were compelled by cultural drivers. Many civilizations of the ancient world had an attitude and acceptance of conflict that might surprise us today, with those such as the Romans holding warfare at the very heart of their psyche and identity.įor some societies, warfare was an essential part of survival, for others an expression of culture, and for still others, a necessary aspect of their imperial economic and political aspirations. “Do you not know that all of human life is a warfare” Indeed, for many of them, war, with all its opportunities and dangers, was as much a part of life as cultivation, trade, or city building. Societies in the ancient world had an intimate relationship with warfare. History reveals several ancient elite military units that have been celebrated for their remarkable prowess and achievements from warriors fighting for ancient Persian kings, to crack members of the Roman military. Republican Roman Legionaries, from the Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus with Persian Immortals, Persian Immortals from Palace Walls at Susa and depiction of Greek Hoplite Warriors
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