Have Persians ever served as mercenaries for a foreign power?

[TWWolfe]

[QUOTE=the persian Immortal;10316010]

they came from latvia did you know ?

I simply need to ask when mukhtars army came from???


I don't understand why a guy like you are complaining that a movie were the persians are the good guys are never made go and have fun with your 300, I mean what's more fun for you then whatch your beloved greeks kill those persian monsters in slowmotion.

THIS................ IS.................... LATVIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Who is Mukhtar?

And there weren't any greeks in Northern Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia

Look, if you actually want to be taken seriously, give serious, intelligent answers. That was not an intelligent answer to a question.

Do you even know what a mercenary is?

I should hope so, i was nice enough to post a definition a little further up

Here, I'll post it again:

Alright, lets define a Mercenary, since there seems to be a bit of confusion.

A mercenary is a soldier who signs a contract with an employer. the contract will specify how much he, and his comrades if he has any, will be paid per week(or another set period of time) for the duration of campaign, or a longer set period of time, at which point he is usually free to leave or renew his contract.

A mercenary will bring his own equipment with him, as well as training, making them a better, though more expensive alternative to local levies put together. However, since they tend to fight more for money than for their ruler, they will sometimes leave the field if things get sticky.

Mass conscripts are not mercenaries, since they are given(admittedly sometimes poor) equipment by the state that conscripted them, and they do not sign a contract agreeing to serve, and are payed, in most cases, little to nothing.

To add some more, feudal troops are not mercenaries either, since they are required to serve due to the lords agreement with his ruler.

[The Holy Pilgrim]

Guys, stay on-topic please.

If any flame wars break out, this thread will be closed.

Keep this debate civil.

[Kitsunegari]

Nonsense. They were used less by foreigners than Scythians. And no, the Hellenistic empires weren't foreign.
That's not anything special. You see, the Diadochi were Greeks.
In the Sicilian wars the base of the army was the Carthaginian citizens. They were supported by Liby-Phoenicians and, to a far lesser extent, Greeks. Not that they were actual mercenaries. The Carthaginians ruled over many Greek Poleis.
The cream of Darius III's army was the Bactrian, Mede and Persian heavy cavalry. It was them on whom Darius' hopes rested. The hoplites were just another component to help hold the line so the cavalry can do the work (at Gaugamela it seems about half the infantry was Immortals and Kardakes, the other half was hoplites and some light auxiliaries. The center was still held by the Immortals).
But again, I never doubted the fact Iranians served as mercenaries. Scythians were Iranian!

-IDK, the Scythians were valued for teaching archery at times, but the Greeks served all over the world for a very long period, Egypt to Thrace, Italy to India; whereas the Scythians were gradually being hemmed in by the Sarmatians and Dacians by the Hellenistic period. Thracians and other Balkan peoples were probably the most common non-Greek mercenaries as peltasts and cavalry.
-Obviously the Diadochi were Greeks, and yes the Greek settlers were islands in an Asiatic sea, although they usually got along well with the natives and were gradually assimilated so i wouldn't really call them foreign.
-Carthaginian citizens were usually levied en masse when the city itself was threatened, the Sacred Band probably numbered around 5k.
-I meant in the respect that they were the most well trained and equipped element of his army, look at how they held their ground until being surrounded and annihilated at the Granicus, but due to their depletion by Gaugemala Darius indeed was wise to think he needed cavalry for the knockout punch (chariots turned out to be a bad idea again though lol).

[Kitsunegari]

Exactly. And when exactly did the Persians rule Ionia? After the failed invasion of 480 the Athenians liberated their Mediterranean coast, and a treaty prevented any Persian from coming into 3 days' ride distance of the sea ever again.

FWIW the Persians regained Ionia after the fall of Athens, that's what the Spartans had guaranteed them in exchange for funding their naval project, it was somewhat contested until Sparta was defeated in turn by Thebes at Mantinea.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

-IDK, the Scythians were valued for teaching archery at times, but the Greeks served all over the world for a very long period, Egypt to Thrace, Italy to India; whereas the Scythians were gradually being hemmed in by the Sarmatians and Dacians by the Hellenistic period. Thracians and other Balkan peoples were probably the most common non-Greek mercenaries as peltasts and cavalry.

Wrong. Scythians were employed as gorse archers and lancers all over Eurasia.

-Obviously the Diadochi were Greeks, and yes the Greek settlers were islands in an Asiatic sea, although they usually got along well with the natives and were gradually assimilated so i wouldn't really call them foreign.

Greeks didn't mix with others. Thy demanded others to imitate them.

-Carthaginian citizens were usually levied en masse when the city itself was threatened, the Sacred Band probably numbered around 5k.

Yes. And sacred band was the standing citizen army.
-I meant in the respect that they were the most well trained and equipped element of his army, [/QUOTE]
Utter nonsense. The heavy cavalry was much better equipped with axes, lances, swords, javelins, bows, lamellar/scale cuirasses, bronze helmets, arm and leg laminated protection, horse armor.

look at how they held their ground until being surrounded and annihilated at the Granicus, but due to their depletion by Gaugemala Darius indeed was wise to think he needed cavalry for the knockout punch (chariots turned out to be a bad idea again though lol).

Of course the were the last to die, since they were deployed at the ing back of the army (or simply didn't reach it in time).

[Gigantus]

You didn't want to listen. Closed.

Little word of caution: this type of altercation happens again and I will not simply be deleting posts.
.