Page 133 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo I

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At the end of the classical period of Greek history however one of the most important de-
velopments in ancient military history slowly began to gain momentum - the introduction of
a professional military. Already during the latter stages of the Peloponnesian War mercenar-
ies had played an increasingly important role as they could provide skills highly sought after
by the opponents - thus, Persian money bought the Spartans rowers from all over the eastern
Mediterranean which eventually allowed them to carry the war right into the Aegean sea and
into Ionia. In the Hellenistic period, the importance of professional soldiers grew consider-
ably. Mercenaries were enlisted by Hellenistic kings as well as city states that were either in
need of great numbers or looking for particular skills. Cretan archers were hired by anyone
who could afford them, gaining citizenship in cities all over Ionia. But although the armies
14
of Hellenistic kings contained a high proportion of mercenaries, Greek cities continued to
rely mainly on citizen militias just as they had done for centuries; the fundamental experi-
ence of war for most male Greek citizens still was one of serving as a citizen-in-arms. 15
In Rome it was not until the military reforms traditionally ascribed to Marius that the
system of citizen militias, with which the Romans had fought the Carthaginians, was finally
abolished. From around 100 BC onwards, Roman armies were now composed of profession-
al soldiers, serving for anything between 15 and 25 years. While this reform was originally
aimed at tapping the large number of landless Roman citizens for army recruitment, it had
in fact a profound influence on the relationship between the civilian population and military
affairs in general. 16

the adVent Of a PrOfessiOnal Military
From now onwards, any military effort would be undertaken either by a distinct group
within the society whose profession it was to do so, or even by outsiders who were paid for.
This change affected Roman society in a number of ways, one of the most important being
the political rise of the military to a position during the principate that was second to no one
else within the society. Tacitus called the resulting role of the military as the single most
17
notes that in 370 BC during the first Theban invasion Spartan women panicked and caused more confusion
than the enemy itself. Similarly, Xen. Hell. 6.5.28 claims they could not endure the sight of outlying districts
of Sparta being plundered and burned by the Thebans; see also D. Schaps, The Women of Greece in Wartime,
in: Classical Philology 77, 1982, 193-213, 195-96. However, when Pyrrhus attacked Sparta in 272 BC, the
women proved to be an effective support for the soldiers defending the city, see Phlyarch. F 48 (FGrHist
81) and Plut. Pyrrh. 27. See also Schaps 1982, 194 and P. Cartledge/A. Spawforth, Hellenistic and Roman
Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities, London 1989, 33-34.
14 On the role of mercenaries in Hellenistic armies see A. Chaniotis, War in the Hellenistic World, Oxford
2005, 78-101. On Cretan mercenaries see P. Ducrey, Warfare in Ancient Greece, New York 1985, 130-2, A.
Petropoulou, Beiträge zur Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsgeschichte Kretas in hellenistischer Zeit, Frankfurt
1985, 15-31 and M. Launey, Recherches sur les armées hellénistiques, Paris 1987, 248-286.
15 See J. Ma, Fighting poleis of the Hellenistic world, in: P. van Wees, War and Violence in Ancient Greece,
London 2000, 337-376.
16 See E. Gabba (ed.), Republican Rome. The Army and Allies, Oxford 1976, N. Rosenstein, Rome at War.
Farms, Families and Death in the Middle Republic, Chapel Hill 2004 and P. Cagniart, The Late Republican
Army (146-30 BC), in: P. Erdkamp (ed.), A Companion to the Roman Army, Oxford 2007, 80-95.
17 See J. B. Campbell, The emperor and the Roman army 31 BC - AD 235, Oxford 1984 and A. Birley, Making
Emperors. Imperial Instrument or Independent Force?, in: P. Erdkamp (ed.), A Companion to the Roman
Army, Oxford 2007, 379-394