Alcibiades

Bactrians,Sogdians and Scythians received land and slaves?And yes,loot as reward,same kind of reward nomadic people were after since forever.

Again,what is your basis for that statement(ie.proof)?
Alcibiades

Darth Roach

Bactrians apparently shared the status of Persians and Medes. Sakas were somewhere up there too. Anyway, the way the Achaemenid empire worked was by giving soldiers land in return for service, and the land was worked by serfs. As for loot - no. What are you going to loot in defensive operations?


About money - Greeks invented money as such.

Alcibiades

All Scythians,and most of Bactrians and Sogdians were definitely not on the level of Persians proper,and did not receive lands and slaves for their service.Scythians were nomads.By definition,they don't have(and don't need)property.They need those things which are to be gained by looting.

You can loot all the enemy has,whether in invasion or defensive.Granted,in the latter case,there is less to take,but there is still the coercion factor(Persians forcing Central Asian troops into service).

No,they didn't.Phoenicians did.

Do you have any source (whether ancient or modern) to back your statement about Achaemenid economy?
Alcibiades

Shiva

I find the posts of Guaporense extremely funny, the way he just dreams up dates, conjures up reasoning ("there are no ancient ruins in India and China..."), and is just desperate to somehow or the other force his ethnocentric bias down everyone's throats at any cost. I can almost hear him shrilly screaming about 'Greeks having the biggest dicks in the whole entire world ever and always'....hahaha...

Darth Roach

How exactly could Persians force anyone?
Source?
ECONOMY OF ANCIENT IRAN: ECONOMY IN ACHAEMENID IRAN - (CAIS) ©

sylla1

BTW, nomads of course have property, as any human (even communist nomads); what they lack by definition is a sedentary lifestyle.

Alcibiades

By being their overlords.C'mon don't play coy and stupid.The same way they forced into military service all non-Persian troops (excluding mercenaries) all along their 200-odd years of existence.

Literally any and every site and article mentioning "Phoenicians" and "money" will tell you that(as well as every book that deals with Phoenicians.Go and check it out.

In fact,it's one of the most well-known facts of ancient world.

How come I didn't see ANY indication of ANY of that whatsoever in any of the few dozen authors I read about Achaemenid Persia and their conflicts with Classical Greece?They all state Persia had hundreds of talents of gold and silver.It can't be that this guy is the only guy on the planet with such information.I am not concinced.I want more sources.Does Pierre Briant states something similar?
Alcibiades

Alcibiades

That's what I meant.Hence,they don't need "land'(as in,houses and farms).
Alcibiades

Darth Roach

Ahum, I don't recall them ruling central Asia.
Okay.
Read the link, man. It clearly says money was used, but only for interaction with Greece.

Alcibiades

Are you serious?What the hell were we talking about the last couple of pages? Bactria,Sogdia,Aria,Drangiana,Dahae,Saka.Ring any bells?

Are you pulling me around with circular arguments?

I read it.I still don't believe there was no money.As I said,Phoenicians invented money,and they were subjects of Persia.I can't believe they had no monetary economy.Does Pierre Briant says the same?
Alcibiades