Immortals
E792655
The Immortals were an elite, heavily armed infantry unit of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, renowned for their constant strength of 10,000 men and prominent role in imperial warfare.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Achaemenid military formation
ⓘ
elite infantry unit ⓘ military unit ⓘ |
| activeCentury |
4th century BCE
ⓘ
5th century BCE ⓘ 6th century BCE ⓘ |
| activePeriod | Achaemenid period ⓘ |
| allegiance | Achaemenid Persian Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commandStructure | under direct authority of the Great King ⓘ |
| country | Achaemenid Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describedBy | Herodotus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| equipment |
bows
ⓘ
scale armor or quilted armor ⓘ short swords or daggers ⓘ spears ⓘ wicker shields ⓘ |
| garrisonRole |
guarding royal residences
ⓘ
protection of the royal person ⓘ |
| historicalReputation |
formidable in battle
ⓘ
highly disciplined ⓘ |
| influenced | later conceptions of elite royal guards ⓘ |
| languageOfName | Old Persian NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| militaryBranch | infantry ⓘ |
| nameGivenBy | Greek historians ⓘ |
| nameMeaning | likely derived from Old Persian term for "companion" or "follower" ⓘ |
| notableCharacteristic |
continuous replacement of casualties
ⓘ
elite status ⓘ heavily armed ⓘ maintained constant strength of 10,000 men ⓘ |
| partOf | Achaemenid army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| payAndRations | better supplied than regular infantry ⓘ |
| recordedIn | Classical Greek sources ⓘ |
| recruitment | primarily ethnic Persians and Medes ⓘ |
| role |
core of royal field army
ⓘ
imperial guard ⓘ shock infantry ⓘ |
| socialStatus | drawn from Persian and Median nobility ⓘ |
| symbolicRole |
embodiment of imperial strength
ⓘ
representation of royal power ⓘ |
| tactics |
close-order infantry combat
ⓘ
combined use of missile and melee weapons ⓘ |
| uniformFeature | distinctive dress compared to ordinary troops ⓘ |
| unitStrength | 10000 soldiers ⓘ |
| usedIn |
Achaemenid expansion campaigns
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
defense of the Persian Empire ⓘ imperial warfare ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.