The Scythian Corps was considered the special forces of ancient Sparta. It consisted of 600 hard-nosed Arcadians who fought alongside the king of the city.
At that time, the only professional army was that of Sparta. From a young age, the Spartans were devoted to military training.
Their army consisted of genuine Lacedaemonians who were nurtured on the basis of Spartan education, but their most select body was the Skyrite company with 600 Arcades.
The Scythians lived in southern Arcadia which belonged to Sparta. Skiritida was built on the border of Arcadia and Laconia. Its citizens have managed to retain some of their freedoms.
The Skirites were called upon to man the Spartan army as they were men of rare strength and endurance. The fact that they lived in southern Arcadia made them necessary guards for Sparta because they would stop a possible attack.
It was the elite of the Spartan phalanx and their symbol was the white hawk on a black background, on their shield.
They had multiple and important roles. They were guards, scouts, they were the first to advance on the marches, they were responsible for guarding but also raid attacks and they were the first to attack. They occupied the left part of the formation during the battle.
Their greatest achievement was the murder of two brothers of Xerxes in the royal camp during the battle of Thermopylae. Although Leonida’s target was Xerxes himself, he was absent from the scene at the time.
[Source: http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr]
