The "Immortals" (from the Greek , sometimes "Ten Thousand Immortals" or "Persian Immortals" In Persian سپاه جاودان) was the name given by Herodotus to an elite force of soldiers who fought for the Achaemenid Empire. This force performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Persian Empire's expansion and during the Greco-Persian Wars. Its Persian name may have been Anûšiya ('companions').
Herodotus describes the 'Immortals' as being heavy infantry led by Hydarnes that were kept constantly at a strength of exactly 10,000 men. He claimed that the unit's name stemmed from the custom that every killed, seriously wounded or sick member was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the cohesion of the unit.
This elite corps is only called the 'Immortals' in sources based on Herodotus. Whilst there is evidence for them from Persia, this does not mention this name for them. "Probably, Herodotus' informant has confused the name Anûšiya ('companions') with Anauša ('Immortals')."
Herodotus describes their armament as follows: wicker shields, short spears, swords or large daggers, bow and arrow. Underneath their robes they wore scale armour coats. The spear counterbalances of the common soldiery were of silver; to differentiate commanding ranks, the officers' spear buttspikes were golden. The regiment was followed by a caravan of covered carriages, camels, and mules that transported their supplies, along with concubines and attendants to serve them; this supply train carried special food that was reserved only for their consumption.
The headdress worn by the Immortals is believed to have been the Persian tiara. Its actual form is uncertain, but some sources describe it as a cloth or felt cap which could be pulled over the face to keep out wind and dust in the arid Persian plains. Surviving Achaemenid coloured glazed bricks and carved reliefs represent the Immortals as wearing elaborate robes and gold jewelry, though these garments and accessories were most likely worn only for ceremonial occasions.
(left) and Persian (right) soldiers, Carvings of Persepolis.]]
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.
Many centuries later during the Napoleonic Wars/Wars of the Coalitions, French soldiers referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals."
The modern Iranian Army under the last Shah included an all volunteer Javidan 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 also appear in "Rome: Total War" as Clibarnii Immortals under the Parthians and Sassanids, and as Immortal Spearmen under the Achaemenid dynasty.
The Persian Immortals appear as a unique shock weapon unit for the Persian Civilization and as enemies in the last two missions in the Greek Campaign of Empire Earth.
Category:Military units and formations of the Achaemenid Empire Category:Royal Guards Category:Battle of Thermopylae Category:Combat occupations
bg:Безсмъртни ca:Immortals ceb:Mga Inmortal cs:Nesmrtelní (Persie) de:Unsterbliche (Leibgarde) et:Surematud (Ahhemeniidide riik) el:Αθάνατοι (Περσική Αυτοκρατορία) es:Inmortales eu:Hilezkorrak fa:گارد جاویدان (هخامنشی) fr:Mélophores ko:불사부대 hr:Perzijski besmrtnici id:Pasukan Abadi it:Immortali lv:Nemirstīgie lt:Nemirtingieji hu:Halhatatlanok ja:不死隊 no:Udødelige (Persia) pl:Nieśmiertelni pt:Imortais ru:Бессмертные (Персия) sk:Nesmrteľní (Perzia) sr:Персијски бесмртници sh:Persijski besmrtnici fi:Kuolemattomat tr:Ölümsüzler (Ahameniş İmparatorluğu)This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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