ABSTRACT
In this light the efforts of the Greeks of the sixth to fourth centuries BCE to remain distinct while overseas take on a very significant role in the pursuit of understanding Greek society. Many Greeks found military service with the Great King and other potentates of the ancient world. In antiquity outsiders were perceived as a threat to any community. Any stranger could have been a run-away slave, an exile, a criminal on the run or a spy. Full membership within the community of the army derived from specific phenomena not unrelated to those that granted membership to those within static Greek city-states. The ownership of the requisite arms and armour for hoplite warfare was significant. Hoplites seem to have enjoyed a higher status within the community than their lighter equipped counterparts. Conversely most mercenaries who found service within the Greek mainland were specialist light troops or cavalry.
