Machimoi

Machimoi ( Greek  μάχιμοι , plural) was the Greek name for the lowest ranks of the ancient Egyptian army and the naval crews , especially in the Ptolemaic period . After the consolidation of the Ptolemaic rule, no Egyptian held higher positions, which is why the Machimoi consisted exclusively of local residents.

The Machimoi had no special military training and could therefore be trained quickly as "infantry of the army". In the year 359 BC During the military offensive carried out by Pharaoh Tachos , the Machimoi, led by the later King Nectanebos II , advanced by land to the Chor region.

Since the second century BC They formed a numerically significant stratum of the population that increasingly exerted social pressure on the Ptolemies and was responsible for various rebellions and uprisings.

literature

• Heinz Heinen: Army and Society in the Ptolemaic Empire . In: ders .: From the Hellenistic East to the Roman West: Selected Writings on Ancient History . Steiner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-515-08740-0 , pp. 61-84.
• Werner Huss : Egypt in the Hellenistic Period: 332–30 BC Chr.Beck , Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47154-4 .