The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paralus]

Are there any records of the physical requirements during the 3-4 years of training for the Asian soldiers. I know Babylonians love their records so a scribe "may" have been present. It would be nice.

Not to my knowledge. Alexander had these "youths" set aside for training in what might be called "the Macedonian education". Whilst this is not documented (the Babylonians seemed far more intersted in astronomical observations and the rise and fall of commodity prices - what's changed in over 2,300 years!) in the source material the fact that these were "youths" and that it took some 3-5 years (depending on which source) to complete the training indicates that it was something akin to, if not the same as, Heckel's "Macedonian cursous honorum". In other word, the boys - like the paides basilikoi - were put through something similar to that which the Macedonian aristocratic youth went through.

By the time we get to Susa in 324 we have 30,000 such having been trained throughout the "upper" satrapies and ready to be enrolled into the army. This, as it transpired, included groups able to be included into the Companion cavalry and hypaspists / argyraspids which occasioned the "rebellion" at Opis. In the years following Alexander's death the sources are consistent in noting that the various satraps and notables (Antigonus, Alketas, Eumenes, Peucestas, et al) all had their agemata of horse as well as paides. Both Antigonus and Eumenes deployed not only their agemata at Paraetekene but also troops of these boys (50 each) as advance guards: Antigonus three and Eumenes two. It can hardly be that these are "slaves" pressed into service as has been argued. Slaves are the last resort and 100, in an army of 35,000 plus, are hardly of great benefit. Further, 150 extra horse added to Antigonus; 9,000 plus cavalry is not going to alter the outcome in any appreciable fashion. It is far more likely that these are the paides in training who will become the paides basilikoi of the new kingdoms.