Military Settlement

For centuries it was deemed unnecessary to pay soldiers, let alone provide them with a pension on retirement. Military service was seen as a privilege, duty and price of citizenship. Soldiers paid their own way, supplying their own weapons and equipment. In order to recruit larger, professional, full-time armies, it was sensible to pay troops and offer land on completion of military service. During the Peloponnesian War, Athens provided their troops with a living allowance which then progressed to full remuneration. Other Greek cities swiftly followed, and the military landscape began its transformation as armies turned professional rather than being mere citizen militias.