What makes the "Persian immortals" so frightening, and what is the origin of the "immortals"?
introduction
This is one of the most popular military cadres in history, both the Imperial Guard and the elite soldiers, they are the feared - the elite guard of the Achaemenid Empire. Known as the "Persian Immortals," this elite military force operated for about two centuries and lasted almost throughout the life of the Achaemenid Empire.
Its ranks numbered more than 10,000 people, and it was the absolute elite of the imperial army, both the emperor's guard and part of the standing army.
The Achaemenid Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great and stretched across Western Asia. From his base in the southwestern corner of the Iranian plateau, Cyrus conquered several regions, including the Medes, the Babylonian Empire, and the Kingdom of Lydia.
In doing so, he created one of the most populous empires in history, stretching from the Indus Valley in the east to the Balkans in the west.
It is known that these elites were first assembled after the capture of Babylon in 539 BC. It is said that a female commander founded this elite guard. It is also believed that Cyrus himself formed a palace guard from among the most fearsome soldiers in his standing army, Sparta.
These consisted mainly of Persians, although there were also a small number of Medes and Elamites assimilated, and their presence showed that Cyrus was not afraid to give his former enemies positions of high responsibility. Thus, this team became a symbol of the affluence of Achaemenid society.
Young boys began training at the age of five to become members of Sparta, learning how to ride horses, shoot arrows, hunt and live on land.
They became soldiers at the age of 20, and after a lot of necessary life in conflict, they were allowed to retire at the age of 50 and received pensions and land rights as a result.
In terms of combat ability and character, the soldiers of the team are regarded as the immortal power of Sparta.
It is understood that the number of this elite is exactly 10,000, and in order to maintain this number, their names came into being. Whenever a fighter is killed, seriously wounded, sick, or retired, they are immediately replaced. Thus making them seem unstoppable.
By not showing the corpses to the enemy, this practice gives the illusion that these much-admired soldiers are not extraordinary people.
What weapons did they fight with?
The main weapon is the spear: six feet long and has a very sharp spearhead. At the other end of the spear is a counterbalance that can be equally deadly when used as a blunt weapon against enemy forces. They also carried some small arms, including a Sagaris tomahawk.
Do they have special wear?
As far as is known, they wear "tiaras" and don't pay much attention to headdresses, which are sometimes described as felt hats, which cover the face and block wind and dust. At other times, it is said to be just a headdress made of cloth.
Their body armor consists of overlapping bronze and iron plates that look like fish scales. They also carried heavy leather-wrapped wicker and wooden shields.
The infantry of the team will have the archers walking in front of the battle, the cavalry next to them, and thousands of arrows can be seen flying in the dark sky. The scene was described as terrifying. Plus their breastplates glittering in the sun, the enemy surrendered the first time he saw them approaching.
How powerful is this elite team? Not only did these ten thousand people wear a lot of eye-catching gold, but they were also very indulgent in their lifestyle.
Whenever they traveled, they also equipped their concubines with caravans, as well as a large entourage of well-equipped slaves, as well as their own necessities, and separated from other soldiers, transported by camels and yokes.
After Cyrus' death in 530 BC, the force was preserved by his successors throughout the life of the Achaemenid Empire, including his sons Cambyses II and Darius the Great.
Darius is widely believed to have deployed his elite brigade during the invasion of Greece, but the presence of an elite contingent did not prevent his defeat at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
This immortal battle, which took place 10 years after the marathon, was Xerxes I's massive invasion of Greece in revenge for the defeat of his predecessor. Xerxes' regular army, consisting mainly of the Medeans and Cises, encountered outnumbered and stubborn resistance to the Spartans.
The Spartan general Leonidas I inspired his few 300 elite Spartan troops to the point that they repelled not only Xerxes' army, but also them.
When Cyrus gained territory to expand his empire, those he faced used the same weapons and wore the same armor as his own army, which meant that the Persians' superior fighting skills were the decisive factor.
However, by the time of the reign of Xerxes, the Spartans had more advanced weapons and protection, as the emperor again discovered in other focal points of his invasion of Greece, especially at the Battle of Platia in 479 BC.
Despite their apparent defeats, the Immortals continued to fight as elite forces in the remainder of the Achaemenid Empire until the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, where they encountered Alexander the Great, the army of Macedonia.
Achaemenids' defeat of Alexander marked the end of this particular empire, but it was not necessarily the end of the immortal empire.
Alexander greatly admired Cyrus and chose to keep an elite army of Persian soldiers as part of the protective shield surrounding his court.
His empire covered parts of Central Asia and Mesopotamia, but it's not clear if he really maintained the tradition of having this elite fighting force provide the Imperial Guard.
But the influence of the immortals did not disappear with their dissolution.
