Glued Linen Armour- a simple test

[Paullus Scipio]

The picture of who supplied mercenaries equipment generally, Employers or the mercenaries themselves, is not really an either/or one. As with most things, the picture is complex, and one might almost say it is impossible to generalise and that each situation was unique.
A number of examples from Sicily may help illustrate matters:
In addition to the rather unique example of Dionysos I and Syracuse becoming a huge arsenal in 399 BC, gearing up for War by manufacturing arms, warships and artillery ,already alluded to, we have more common examples. His son, Dionysos II, having disarmed the citizenry handed over 5,000 panoplies to Syracusans who lacked them (Diodorus Siculus XVI.10). Polyaenus (stratagems I.26, V.1) refers to Tyrants in Sicily arming slaves and metics. Whilst not specifically mercenaries, this shows that 'Employers' could and did arm men if there was an emergency and the arms were available in storage etc

An earlier example of this occurs during the Athenian attack on Syracuse, when Hermocrates urges the Generals (strategoi) to prepare the Hoplitikon ( Hoplite class body of men), arming those who lacked arms (Thuc. VI.72 and D.S. XIII.96).

In Greece itself, mention has already been made of individuals in Athens making gifts of large numbers of weapons such as shields to the state, presumably again to those who lacked arms, who might be poor thetes or perhaps even mercenaries. Another example is Lysias (D.S. XVI.41), talking of the estate of Aristophanes, speaks of him having eqipped 10 Triremes for the Sicilian campaign in 414 BC, and in 391 BC donating 30,000 drachmas to pay mercenary peltasts and to purchase arms (hopla) for them. Again the implication is that many came equipped, but others did not.

Xenophon ( Hellenica II.1) has Pharnabazus in 406 BC( like the Athenians earlier) equipping sailors (nautes) with food (ephodia) and arms (hopla), most likely peltast style equipment, to guard the coastline....

He also refers ( Hell. III.1.13) to a female Persian satrap of Aeolis, Mania, keeping a mercenary Greek force (xenikon) to whom she gave various individuals gifts ( dora ), so they became "magnificently equipped" ( lamprotata kataskeuazo ) - the clear implication here being that the gifts improved their standard of equipment, and that they came with their own,rather than that she actually provided them all with arms.

In general then, we may say that as a rule, the hired men brought their own equipment, but that a rich employer might, on occasion, enhance that equipment, or in an emergency an employer ( or the State or private individual's donations) might provide arms to unarmed men, if stocks were available, and that the same probably applied to mercenaries.

As to Alexander possibly disarming large numbers of mercenaries before sending them home, that also was a unique situation, and should not be used as a general guideline, even if it did occur.....and the text seems to imply that many of the mercenaries who flocked there came armed, if only "pressing needs" were met. The fact that at first they "plundered all over Asia" also clearly implies they were armed, for they could hardly have done so otherwise.Perhaps Alexander cunningly arranged for their return passage home by ship, in return for payment. Many would have had to sell/trade-in their arms to purchase passage and thus become unarmed, while those who had done well from plunder would not have had to do so, and thus turned up in arms.......