[Video] Masters of Combat: Persian Immortals

View Full

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 Playlist

View Full

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 Playlist

Masters of Combat: Persian Immortals

The Persian Immortals were an elite infantry unit of the Achaemenid Empire, famously named by Herodotus. This formidable group consisted of Persians, Medes, and Elamites, who served as both imperial guards and a core component of the empire’s standing army.

Their name arose from their constant strength of 10,000 men, as any loss was immediately replaced. They played crucial roles in key battles, such as the Battle of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian Wars. The Immortals were renowned for their distinct armaments, which included wicker shields, short spears, and scale armor coats, reflecting their status as one of the most feared military forces in the ancient world.

The Immortals fought valiantly at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE against Alexander the Great’s forces under Darius III. Remarkably, after Alexander’s victory, he chose to keep the Immortals intact, viewing himself as the successor to Darius and the last king of the Achaemenid Empire.

Alexander maintained the Immortals as a symbol of continuity. After Alexander died in 323 BC and the subsequent division of his empire, it remains uncertain whether the Immortals were retained by his successor Seleucus.