Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of ancient warfare answers with me, Murray, your weekly fix of ancient warfare related ranting, where I attempt to answer a question from a reader, viewer or listener. You can ask a question. You can back us on Patreon, one of three different levels, legionary, Optio and Centurion.

You can send us an email, send me a postcard. You can comment on a previous video or podcast.

Now, today's question is from Samuel, excellent surname there, Samuel. Thanks for the recent

AWA episodes. My pleasure. Just finishing off issue 101, which gives us a bit of a date, because

we're up to at least 106, particularly enjoyed the article on the Palapnesian Aspas band

decorations. Possible AWA question. Well, not possible. Probable, in fact, real. Here we go. Thucydides,

book one, outlines Athenian forces at the outset of the Peloponnesian

War in 431 BC, a passage which I've recently covered with my A-level ancient history class.

Lots of Athenian archers mentioned. Do we know how they were equipped? Whether they were

citizens or Scythians, did they serve aboard triremes or in garrisons? Presumably they were poorer citizens

who couldn't afford the hoplight panoply or specialist mercenaries. How would this have

affected their status in the army and wider society? Okay. Woo-hoo! Athenian archers.

Very interesting. And of course, when you talk about Greek archers, you're always up against the idea that the

attitude towards archery by Greek societies was negative, that archery was cowardly,

that archers were unnecessary.

And, you know, in a lot of our battle narratives we get

hoplites and no one else mentioned. The reality of course is that archers are

quite common in Greek armies that most of them have them. Certainly early on are

they are they included when we talk about Psyloy, the light-arm troops,

and arches are not specified, but they're certainly present.

And, you know, lots of archaeological sites find archery, normally arrowheads.

So the archery is certainly there.

...