The marines of ancient Greece were paid volunteers who tended to be from the lower citizen classes. This was possibly because they were more likely to be available for naval service and not likely to be called for regular hoplite service. Fighting from the deck of a moving ship required skills that could only be developed through experience, so it is likely that the soldiers employed by Greek navies made their living as marines. Despite their low birth, marines were next to the captain in a ship's hierarchy and took part in ceremonies and political discussions. Thucydides even called the marines of one fleet “the best men” to fall in the Peloponnesian War.
