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Information about Persian Immortals

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A Persian Immortal wielding a spear, wicker shield, dagger, and bow.
The Achaemenid Persian Immortals, also known as the Persian Immortals or The Immortals were an elite force of soldiers which performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus describes the Immortals as being heavy infantry led by Hydarnes that were kept constantly at a strength of exactly 10,000 men — every killed, seriously wounded or sick member was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the cohesion of the unit. <ref name="Immortals" /> The regiment accepted only Median, Elamite or Persian applicants (Herodotus).

Terminology

The term Immortals comes from Herodotus who called them either the Ten Thousand or Athanatoi (lit. immortals). There are no other sources and the Persians themselves have no record of such a unit.

Herodotus' source may have confused the name Anûšiya (companions) with Anauša (Immortals). Alexander the Great's historians mention a Persian unit similar to Herodotus' Immortals that they called 'Apple Bearers'.[1]

Equipment and training

The Immortals were equipped with a leather and wicker shield, a short spear with an iron point and a counterbalance on the other end, a bow with cane arrows, and a quiver for them . They were experts at horseback riding. The regiment's clothing was not a uniform in the modern sense but consisted of a fairly standardised tiara or soft felt cap, an embroidered long-sleeved tunic, trousers, and a coat of metal. Their usual tactics involved a front rank charge at the enemy while the rear ranks shot arrows to support the assault.

The Immortals had variegated costumes and acted as the Imperial Guards. "Of these one thousand carried spears with golden pomegranate at the lower end instead of spikes; and these encircled the other nine thousand, who bore on their spears pomegranates of silver."

The regiment was followed by a caravan of covered carriages, camels and mules that transported their women and servants. The Immortals received special food.<ref name="Immortals" />

The Immortals were trained from childhood how to handle their weapons, how to march, how to dress, and more. The training was rigorous and group selective. Immortals were required to be of Persian bloodlines, a good shot with a bow, and able to ride well. Later in time, a strict adherence to the religion of the prophet Zarathustra and his teachings, or "truth" as the Persians called it, was required.

The fighting style of the Immortals left them weak to particular enemy forces using spears and long swords. The Hoplites use of both these weapons in combatting the Immortals frequently rendered them helpless, stuck at a distance unable to reach. Even in close combat against other troops the immortals light leather padding provided little armor for protection.

The Immortals in history

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Lancers, detail from the archers' frieze in Darius' palace in Susa. Silicious glazed bricks, c. 510 BC.
The Immortals played an important role in Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 547 BC, Cambyses' campaign against Egypt in 525 BC and Darius' invasion of India and Scythia in 520 BC and 513 BC. Immortals participated in the Battle of Marathon 490 BC and the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC[2] and were in the Persian occupation troops in Greece in 479 BC under Mardonius.

Successors

The title of "Immortals" was first revived under the Sassanids. The most famous of the Savaran units were the Zhayedan (Immortals) and numbered 10,000 men, like the Achaemenid predecessors, with the difference that they were cavalry. Their task was mainly to secure any breakthroughs and to enter battles at crucial stages.

Main article: Immortals (Byzantine)


The title of "Immortals" was again revived under the Byzantine Empire, under the Emperor Michael VII (1071–1081). His general Nikephoros reorganised the central field army ("Tagmata") of the Eastern Empire following the disastrous defeat of Manzikert by the Turks in 1071. The remnants of the provincial troops of the Eastern Themes (military provinces) were brought together in a new Imperial Guard regiment named after the Persian Immortals and reportedly also numbering about 10,000 men. These were however cavalry, like the remainder of the Byzantine field army.

Main article: Imperial Guard


Many centuries later during the Napoleonic Wars/Wars of the Coalitions, French soldiers referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals."[3]

Main article: Iranian Imperial Guard


The modern Iranian Army under the last Shah included an all volunteer Javedan Guard, also known as the "Immortals" after the ancient Persian royal guard. The "Immortals" were based in the Lavizan Barracks in Tehran. By 1978 this elite force comprised a brigade of 4,000–5,000 men, including a battalion of Chieftain tanks. Following the overthrow of the Imperial regime in 1979 the "Immortals" were disbanded.

The Immortals in fiction

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A 300 movie poster depicting the heavily fictionalized Persian Uber-Immortal.
  • Frank Miller's comic book 300, turned into a motion picture in 2007, presents a heavily fictionalized version of the Immortals at the Battle of Thermopylae. The film illustrated these guards covered fully in black, with metallic masks covering their monstrous faces. The 1962 film The 300 Spartans includes similar depictions, although far less stylized.
  • Many historical strategy videogames featuring the Persian Empire (such as Civilization, Rise of Nations and the Age of Empires series) contain Immortals as a special unit. In the Square Enix game Final Fantasy XI, the Blue Mage job class and the Aht Urhgan Imperial Guard are based heavily on the Immortals.
  • The Drenai series, written by David Gemmell, features a military unit named the Immortals. Similar to the Persian Immortals, its number is maintained at a constant 10,000 soldiers.

References

1. ^ 'Immortals' by Jona Lendering. Livius: Articles on ancient History. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
2. ^ Thermopylae (480 BCE) by Jona Lendering. Copyright 2005. Latest revision: 11 March 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
3. ^ Georges Blond, La Grande Armée, trans. Marshall May (New York: Arms and Armor, 1997), 48, 103, 470

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solid gold coin brought in after a reform of the Roman money system. The common origin for the words soldier and payment survives not only in French (soldat and solde) but also in other languages, like German (Soldat and Sold
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An imperial guard describes any group of military bodyguard or retainers responsible for the protection of an imperial person, be they an Emperor, Empress or Imperial Prince or Princess.
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Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς Hērodotos Halikarnāsseus
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Infantry or footmen are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means.
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Hydarnes, son of Hydarnes, was an eminent Persian, the commander of the Ten Thousand Immortals during the time of the Persian Wars with Greece. Hydarnes led the Immortals in Xerxes' expedition against Greece.
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Cohesion may mean:
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Medes were an ancient Iranian people, who lived in the north, western, and northwestern portions of present-day Iran, and roughly the areas of present day Kurdistan, Hamedan, Tehran, Azarbaijan, north of Esfahan and Zanjan.
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BCE Zayandeh River Civilization Sialk civilization 7500–1000 Jiroft civilization (Aratta) Proto-Elamite civilization Bactria-Margiana Complex Elamite dynasties 2800–550 Kingdom of Mannai Median Empire 728–550 Achaemenid Empire Seleucid Empire Greco-Bactrian
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BCE Zayandeh River Civilization Sialk civilization 7500–1000 Jiroft civilization (Aratta) Proto-Elamite civilization Bactria-Margiana Complex Elamite dynasties 2800–550 Kingdom of Mannai Median Empire 728–550 Achaemenid Empire Seleucid Empire Greco-Bactrian
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Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: Ἡρόδοτος Ἁλικαρνᾱσσεύς Hērodotos Halikarnāsseus
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Immortality is a concept of eternal life.

Immortality, Immortal or Immortals may also refer to:
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Alexander III, the Great
Basileus of Macedon, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Shah of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt

Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. From Alexander Mosaic, from Pompeii, Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.
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Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses.
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Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a useful object. Wicker is usually used for baskets or furniture. Traditional wicker is made of material of plant origin, but nowadays also plastic fibers are used.
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shield is a protective device, meant to intercept attacks. The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand, as opposed to armour or a bullet proof vest.

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For the US TV series, see .


A cane is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, Malacca (rattan) or some similar plant, mainly used as a support, such as a walking stick, or as an instrument of punishment.
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A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those shot from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. Quivers have different forms depending on their use: quivers may hang from an archer's belt, from a horse saddle, or be worn on the back.
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A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization whilst participating in that organization's activity.

People performing religious activities have often worn standard costumes since the dawn of recorded history.
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tiara (from Persian تاره tara adopted in Latin as 'tiara') is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.
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Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or yarn using a needle. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins.
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tunic (Latin tunica) was the common masculine garment of Greco-Roman civilization. It was worn by citizens and non-citizens alike; citizens, though, would wear it under the toga, especially at formal occasions.
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Military tactics (Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army) are the collective name for methods for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics.
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charge is a maneuver in battle in which soldiers advance towards their enemy at their best speed to engage in close combat. The charge is the dominant shock attack and has been the key tactic and decisive moment of most battles in history.
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Cyrus II of Persia, The Great
King of Persia, King of Media

An old Iranian portrait of Cyrus the Great (artist's conception).
Reign 550 BC to 529 BC
Born 590 BC or 576 BC
Anshan
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The term Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean refers to Babylonia under the rule of the 11th ("Chaldean") dynasty, from the revolt of Nabopolassar in 626 BC until the invasion of Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, notably including the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
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Cambyses II (Old Persian: ������������[1] Kabūjia[2], d. 522 BC) was the son of Cyrus the Great.
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