The concept of the “mercenary” is as old as the history of humankind or the history of war. In one of the earliest records in history, the mercenary market in Cape Tainaron in Peloponnese is said to be a result of landless soldiers, remnants of the previous century’s wars between city states, congregating there. This market had worked regularly during the Persian Wars and whenever professional soldiers were needed in the Hellenised east. In 329 B.C. Alexander the Great had hired 50,000 Greek mercenaries from such a market. 1
Mercenary work has been in demand throughout history by affluent societies with low populations, in return for money or for certain privileges such as citizenship or land grants as in the French Foreign Legion (Légion Etrangere) and the Roman army.
By Çaðrý Doðal GÜL
You can read the rest of the article on our issue of December