102 Livin' on a (Persian) Prayer
The History of Ancient Greece
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The Athenians and the Flat Duty Tax
The Athenians' drastic shortage of money in 413 BC underlay what turned out to be their most horrible atrocity. They hired a core of 1300 lightly armed mercenaries from the Thracian tribe of Di at the rate of a drachma a day for each man. But these men had arrived at Athens too late to take part in the campaign, as the fleet had already left. Since they would not have been paid until after their service, they were sent home empty-handed. Thucydides writes that this disaster was unsurpassed in suddenness, horror and depravity throughout the entire war.
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