A Study On The Recruitment And Salary Treatment Of Mercenaries In Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was the origin of Western civilization,which provided a good starting point for the study of the history of western military war,and its military system also had a demonstration effect in the Mediterranean region for a long time.When the ancient Greeks fought as soldiers in their own country,a large part of them became mercenaries.The concept of a mercenary in ancient Greece was different from what it is today.It refers to the employment of certain city-states,monarchs,or individuals who can receive different forms of wages,such as money,food,and land,through military service.A group of soldiers who can also be paid by means of plunder,which has a unique significance in the history of classical Greece.In the history of ancient Greek mercenaries,recruitment,service process and salary are three important links,which run through the activities of mercenaries.The recruitment of mercenaries is a huge task involving four areas:employers,commanders,brokers and hires.Employment opportunities are at the heart of the recruitment process,and employers are the key to mercenary services.The hires come from a wide range of parts of the Greek mainland;the service of mercenaries is the focus of mercenary activity throughout ancient Greece,and the demands of different employers and middlemen on mercenaries are different.So it involved different types of mercenaries,and it had a profound impact on the organization of the troops that followed.Arms and food supplies;salary is the core of mercenaries’ military service.The desire for wealth is to drive mercenaries and their commanders to participate in the battle.The cost of employing soldiers is great and the competition of capital.Money is not necessarily the main target of mercenaries,and political status is a special "reward".It is strengthened on the one hand.The combat effectiveness of the army is ensured,and the victory of the military operation is ensured.On the other hand,the mercenaries are given political honor and political status.In the city-state world of ancient Greece,mercenaries were a marginalized group whose emergence had greatly changed the pattern of military demand-supply in the Mediterranean region.The top military commanders in Athens may not have any intention of serving the Gentiles,while the city-states at that time had ample opportunity to accomplish their military ambitions,a change in the Greek military system after the ancient times.These changes promoted the development of history and brought the ancient Mediterranean war into a new field,and still played a similar role in different environments.