I was having a look round at Archaic Greek mercenaries in the Middle East and Egypt.
I managed to find an article, Archaic Greeks in the Orient: Textual and Archaeological Evidence, WOLF-DIETRICH NIEMEIER
I've read it on JSTOR but cannot download it for future reference, so wondered if anybody had JSTOR access who could find the pdf for me?
One comment that intrigued me was that in some places they were in very small numbers, and were assumed to be some sort of 'elite'.
That alone intrigued me enough to keep digging 8)
As far as the Neo-Assyrians were concerned, I suspect they viewed their Greeks not so much as elite, rather specialists, operating with Phoenicians ships that were bigger than the average riverine craft.
Quote from: DBS on Jan 03, 2026, 07:47 PMAs far as the Neo-Assyrians were concerned, I suspect they viewed their Greeks not so much as elite, rather specialists, operating with Phoenicians ships that were bigger than the average riverine craft.
Yes. Specialists might be a better term than elites. They were also apparently at the Judean border fortress of Arad in the Northern Negev. So I'm now searching the internet for source material :)
Am stuck in the office tonight but will see if I can dig out tomorrow the Assyrian references.
Thanks David
In the meantime, there is also this thesis:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classics/intranets/students/modules/warfare/essays/traders_pirates_warriors-_the_proto-history_of_greek_mercenary_soldiers_in_the_eastern_mediterranean_nino_luraghi.pdf
Cheers David
Should keep me out of trouble for a while :)
I presume you've seen https://suppositorydepository.wordpress.com/2016/04/16/the-arad-and-lachish-letters-and-the-last-moments-of-the-kingdom-of-judah/
https://www.academia.edu/129750605/Itach_G_2025_A_Note_on_the_Identity_of_the_Ktym_in_the_Arad_Letters_Revue_Biblique_132_3_321_329 - just a summary - is an article that suggests the kittim of the Arad letters are in fact not Greeks at all.
Hi Duncan, thanks for those, I suspect I wouldn't have found the suppositorydepository one. I have been looking for papers with a different view on Ktym