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Osprey Elite #42
The Persian Army 560–330 BC
The Persian Empire grew in the vacuum left by Assyria's destruction of the Kingdom of Elam (648 BC). Prince Teispes captured Anshan, once a stonghold of the Elamites. His father, Achaemenes is the person who is apparently responsible for training and organising the early Persian army and it is his name that is the beginning of the royal line of Achaemenian Kings. It is a dynasty which includes Darius the Great – the finest ruler of the Achaemenid era. The army he commanded included the infamous 'Immortals', who formed the elite of the Persian army, their numbers always kept to exactly 10,000 men.
64 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 1992
About the author
Nicholas Sekunda
59 books6 followersDr. Nicholas Victor Sekunda was born in 1953. After studying Ancient History and Archaeology at Manchester University, he went on to take his Ph.D. in 1981. He has taken part in archaeological excavations in Poland, Iran and Greece, participated in a research project on ancient Persian warfare for the British institute of Persian Studies. He has published numerous books and academic articles, and is currently he is Head of the Department of Mediterranean Archaeology at Gdansk University, Poland, and is co-director of excavations at Negotino, Republic of Macedonia.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 16, 2023
THE PERSIAN ARMY 560 - 330 BC was a real book of contrasts compared to THE SPARTAN ARMY, even though they were both written by the same author. Maybe that only was fitting being as these two armies ended up fighting each other. I gave this book a 3.5 rounded up to 4.0, and I will explain my reasons shortly. Before I do, let me tell you a little about this book.
Like others in the series, there are a lot of photos. Of course in this case they are of ancient artifacts. Color plates are included. The text is what it says it is, a brief account of the Persian Army. One must look elsewhere for maps.
My main reason for a slightly lower rating than the Spartan book was the subject of the text itself. Unless you are doing serious research you would probably nod off while reading certain parts. Fully described over several paragraphs is the description of the Persian king's uniform. Just take a glance at the cover and notice all the various colors in stripes, designs, trimmings, capes, buttons, belts, hoods, and boots and imagine the chore of describing all that to someone else. Don't forget that each regiment in the army not only had different colors but the reasons for it were explained. And the ancient names of all these articles of clothing were given as well. By a way of comparison the author could say that the Spartans sometimes fought in the nude!
There were parts that were interesting. A son was raised by his mother and presented to his father for the first time when he turned 5. From then on he was trained to ride, archery, and to tell the truth until he turned 20. For the next four years he had military training. His service in the National Army might last until he reached 50. The Immortals were a 10,000 strong unit of their army made up of native Persians. They were called that because the strength never fell below 10,000 as replacements were available.
Being a huge empire there were a lot of foreign units serving, along with mercenaries. Some 30,000 Greeks were serving at times, which makes one wonder who was left to stop them from invading Greece. By the way, Alexander the Great faced some in one of his biggest battles.
The author made an interesting observation. Some conquered people were not allowed to train for war and after a time they became quite passive. In ancient times only free people trained for war.
There was a lot of yellow, purple, and scarlet in their uniforms. Purple colored cloth was so valuable that it was kept in the Royal Treasury and handed out personally by the king. Alexander found 5,000 talents (over 50 pounds to a talent) weight of purple dye that had been stored for 190 years! The only thing made today that lasts that long is concrete.
This is a good reference book for those interested.
Like others in the series, there are a lot of photos. Of course in this case they are of ancient artifacts. Color plates are included. The text is what it says it is, a brief account of the Persian Army. One must look elsewhere for maps.
My main reason for a slightly lower rating than the Spartan book was the subject of the text itself. Unless you are doing serious research you would probably nod off while reading certain parts. Fully described over several paragraphs is the description of the Persian king's uniform. Just take a glance at the cover and notice all the various colors in stripes, designs, trimmings, capes, buttons, belts, hoods, and boots and imagine the chore of describing all that to someone else. Don't forget that each regiment in the army not only had different colors but the reasons for it were explained. And the ancient names of all these articles of clothing were given as well. By a way of comparison the author could say that the Spartans sometimes fought in the nude!
There were parts that were interesting. A son was raised by his mother and presented to his father for the first time when he turned 5. From then on he was trained to ride, archery, and to tell the truth until he turned 20. For the next four years he had military training. His service in the National Army might last until he reached 50. The Immortals were a 10,000 strong unit of their army made up of native Persians. They were called that because the strength never fell below 10,000 as replacements were available.
Being a huge empire there were a lot of foreign units serving, along with mercenaries. Some 30,000 Greeks were serving at times, which makes one wonder who was left to stop them from invading Greece. By the way, Alexander the Great faced some in one of his biggest battles.
The author made an interesting observation. Some conquered people were not allowed to train for war and after a time they became quite passive. In ancient times only free people trained for war.
There was a lot of yellow, purple, and scarlet in their uniforms. Purple colored cloth was so valuable that it was kept in the Royal Treasury and handed out personally by the king. Alexander found 5,000 talents (over 50 pounds to a talent) weight of purple dye that had been stored for 190 years! The only thing made today that lasts that long is concrete.
This is a good reference book for those interested.
June 12, 2019
I have to say that I absolutely loved this book- it opened my eyes to a whole world of Ancient Warfare I had totally shortchanged before. I used to game and paint the Ancient period, with a special love of the Hellenic and Hellenistic periods. But I realized after reading this book, that I had totally shortchanged the period. Due to the Grecophile nature of my teachers, I had essentially thought that the two Persian invasions on Greece were beaten back- there was some inter-greek struggles- and then Philip and Alexander of Macedon Show up and conquer greece and then persia. Somewhere in the middle was Xenophon's adventures in the Anabasis- as participants in a Persian Civil war. The truth, as Nicholas Sekunda tells us here, is that the Greeks and the Persian interacted for over 230 years- with Persian society transforming all through that period just like the many twist and turns in Greek History. The book follows the Persian Armed forces of the period- with the several layers of soldiery- Royal, Satrapal (Regional Governors), tribal and Mercenary that made up these armies. It's colorful and compelling reading.
I also have to say that the dazzling bright uniforms portrayed in Simon Chew's illustrations are fully integrated into this example of the Osprey 64-page format, as the entire content is given over the describing the colour plates at the center of the book. Sekunda works his history into each caption, so eager is he cover as much of the sprawling empire's forces as possible. I found myself regretting I had not built one of these armies so covered in bright hues and deep purples- I think I was thrown off by the weak Black and white pictures in the old Wargames Research Group guides that this blows away completely. This book is just so fun with all the colour and wide range of weapon types used.
With little gore or adult content, this is a great book for the Junior Reader who shows an interest in the period- the art may win a history fan for life! For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- what a goldmine! These uniforms with such intricate patterns, are just so alluring to paint- I am thinking of ordering some miniatures for myself- and I am pretty much a WWII painter! These pictures are just so rich and varied- and the text so informative - that its hard to resist getting involved. From the Invasions of Greece at the start of the period to amazing Civil Wars where massive armies clashed in the middle of the era -to the final resistance to Alexander at the bitter end- this book makes the period more inviting and rich in story lines that will help Diorama/Scenario development- and the Military History Buff will appreciate a jumping off point to delve further into a fascinating period- previously under studied in the west. A strong recommendation for this book- but now I want to learn more......
I also have to say that the dazzling bright uniforms portrayed in Simon Chew's illustrations are fully integrated into this example of the Osprey 64-page format, as the entire content is given over the describing the colour plates at the center of the book. Sekunda works his history into each caption, so eager is he cover as much of the sprawling empire's forces as possible. I found myself regretting I had not built one of these armies so covered in bright hues and deep purples- I think I was thrown off by the weak Black and white pictures in the old Wargames Research Group guides that this blows away completely. This book is just so fun with all the colour and wide range of weapon types used.
With little gore or adult content, this is a great book for the Junior Reader who shows an interest in the period- the art may win a history fan for life! For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- what a goldmine! These uniforms with such intricate patterns, are just so alluring to paint- I am thinking of ordering some miniatures for myself- and I am pretty much a WWII painter! These pictures are just so rich and varied- and the text so informative - that its hard to resist getting involved. From the Invasions of Greece at the start of the period to amazing Civil Wars where massive armies clashed in the middle of the era -to the final resistance to Alexander at the bitter end- this book makes the period more inviting and rich in story lines that will help Diorama/Scenario development- and the Military History Buff will appreciate a jumping off point to delve further into a fascinating period- previously under studied in the west. A strong recommendation for this book- but now I want to learn more......
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews