Persian Immortals

Type Object Region Persia Time c. -499–-330

The standing elite infantry corps of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, fixed at 10,000 men, famed for gold-adorned weapons and splendid dress, immediate…

Timeline

c. -499–-490Persian Empire heartland · IranThe Achaemenid dynasty formed a standing corps of 10,000 chosen infantry, well armed and with an immediate replacement system, becoming the elite directly under royal authority.
-490–-480Greek battlefield · GreeceAt Marathon and Thermopylae, the Immortals took part in the attacks as the core infantry of Xerxes' expedition; Herodotus describes their organization and methods of fighting in detail.
-331–-330Gaugamela and Persepolis · MesopotamiaAfter Alexander defeated Darius III at Gaugamela and advanced on Persepolis, the Achaemenid military system collapsed, and the Immortals as the empire's standing elite ended with it.

Sources

Histories — Herodotus https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126
The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period — Amélie Kuhrt (2013)