Hippeis, not Hippies

[Paullus Scipio]

Getting back to the original topic....

Herodotus 1.67.5 speaks of the "??????????" or Agathoergi" or "Doers of Good Deeds' or 'Morally Good Deeds" or what have you. Herodotus says that these are veterans of the Hippeis, 5 each year, who go into this status before "retirement." This suggests that the Hippeis had a choosing system for recruitment and a "retirement" system.. that the survivors were literally "exemplars of moral goodness" and thatonly 5 a year were released. Again, since it is unlikely that they were spread over 60 years of service, it seems more likely that they had a low survival rate...

Of course, if there were only 100 knights, then 5 a year would represent a service of 20 years, which would make a great deal of sense.

Either way, the suggestion--a system for inclusion and retirement--, and a heightened political responsibility at the end--would seem to mean something.

...That there were three hundred "Hippeis' is reasonably certain, as is the fact that they were 'Hebontes' ( the 20-29 year-olds inclusive) - see P1. of this thread and James McKinnon's lengthy post 18 November ( which you may have missed through your computer being 'down' :wink: )...as in other Greek states, Spartans did not become full Adult Citizens until 30......