Persian Immortals
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The Persian Immortals were a Persian elite Imperial Guard regiment during the Persian Wars.
The term Immortals comes from Herodotus who called them either Ten Thousand or Athanatoi (lit. immortals). Persians themselves probably did not use the term — Herodotus may have used a corruption of a term anusiya (companions).
Herodotus tells that Immortals were heavy infantry lead by Hydarnes that was kept constantly in strength of exactly 10,000 men — every killed, seriously wounded or sick member was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the cohesion of the unit. The regiment accepted only Median or Persian applicants.
Their weapons were a leather and wicker shield, a short spear with an iron point and a counterbalance on the other end, a bow with cane arrows, a quiver for them and a dagger or short sword. The regiment's uniform consisted of a tiara or soft felt cap, an embroidered long-sleeved tunic, trousers, and a coat of metal. Their usual tactics involved a front rank charge at the enemy while the rear flanks shot arrows to support the assault.
These had variegated costumes and acted as the Imperial Guards. "Of these one thousand carried spears with golden pomegranate at the lower end instead of spikes; and these encircled the other nine thousand, who bore on their spears pomegranates of silver".
The regiment was followed by a wagon train of covered carriages, camels and mules that transported their women and servants and they received special food.
Immortals participated in the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae and were in the Persian occupation troops in Greece in 479 BC under Mardonius. Alexander the Great defeated them in the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.
[edit] Successors
The title of "Immortals" was 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. These were however cavalry, like the remainder of the Byzantine field army.
The modern Iranian Army under the last Shah included an all volunteer Javedan 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.
