Kardakes translated means “foreign mercenaries”. The Kardakes are a part of the Persian army that also appears towards the later empire, it is uncertain what they really were. Some say that they were mercenaries, others that they were influenced by the Greek Hoplites and that we should assume that they were a Persian attempt to reform the army in a Greek way.

The Kardakes are described by historians as "Hoplites", Slingers and "Peltasts". This may illustrate that Kardakes most likely were not a specific troop type, like a heavy infantryman or a skirmisher but rather a specific group which supplied several kinds of soldiers. This means that the Kardakes would have been equipped differently. At the battle of Issus Arrian calls them Hoplites, and Kallisthenes as Peltasts.

KARDAKE INFANTRY

The Kardaka infantryman are based on the Alexander mosaic. Greek hoplite shields are shown as plain bronze, and the others are painted. It is believed that the yellow hooded troops were Persians, although it is also proposed that these could also have been non ethnical Persians. They were believed to have been accorded the status of a Persian bondsman in return for their military service.

This would have entitled them to exemption from taxes, a privilege reserved for the Persians, and perhaps the right to be tried according to Persian law. Therefore it is speculated that the yellow hood may have been the badge of one holding Persian legal status.

If we assume the assumptions concerning the yellow hoods are correct, then it is proposed that the white hoods represent troops of non-Iranian origins.

Scale: 1/30
Material: Pewter alloy and synthetic fibers
Released Date: May 2026