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What did troops in Xenophon's army eat when they retreated from the Persian Empire? What would there mess kits look like? Well it could be from any era that hoplites marched, not exactly what they consumed but more of a range of foods more like.
James Andrew
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Well,i'd suggest you read Xenophon himself. Basicly they would eat whatever they found in the villages they passed through,whatever they were given by them or even provided by the persian army and whatever they could steal. I guess they could usually make bread and they some times had wine,so this alone makes a complete meal for an Athenian! They might have done the "kikeon" which was a kind of soup with broken whead,baked and soaked in some liquid,water(?) wine(?) can't really remember,and probably whatever else they could add in it for flavour.
Again their mess kit wasn't what you'd usually see in Greece since the greek camp was captured by the Persians during the battle of Cunaxa. Whatever they would be provided by the persians and could steal from the persian villages.
And of course,much of the time they had nothing to eat!
Khaire
Giannis
Giannis K. Hoplite
a.k.a.:Giannis Kadoglou
a.k.a.:Thorax
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The book which answers all of these questions and more is the extremely well-researched "A Greek Army on the March" by John W.I. Lee; chapters five and eight are devoted to the soldiers' diets and kit, while other chapters discuss other interesting topics such as attendants, lodging, and hygiene. I highly recommend it.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
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yeah I have that book, ordered it several weeks ago, its a wonderful book with loads of info
James Andrew