Mercenaries were a significant factor in many of the wars of the Classical world being employed in large numbers by many states. By far the most famous were Xenophons Ten Thousand who had to cut their way out of the Persian Empire after the death of their employer & such Greek infantry were for long the most dominant type (even a Spartan king hiring himself out in one case) but there was a wide variety of mercenaries available. Some such as Celts & Thracians were hired largely for their love of fighting while others were valued for their specialist skills such as Cretan archers or slingers from Rhodes or the Balearic Islands. This will be the first full-length book on the subject since 1997. It will examine the role of the mercenaries & their influence on the wars of the period down to the death of Alexander the Great who employed them & why & will also look at the social & economic pressures that drove tens of thousands to make a living of fighting for the highest bidder despite the intense dangers of the ancient battlefield.