hoplite14gr
I just cannot agree with what I see as your underlying premise that if not Cretan any archer must be not Greek.
Quote: Parnitha free Athenian herders were more likely to serve as slingers/javelineers
Only if you assume the large bodies of Athenian arches must be not Athenian…
What about Herodotus (3.45.4) Polycrates has a large number of Samain archers?
If Samos can have citizen archers, why not Athens as well?
Quote: s a state resource this slaves would be committed to the war effort and when the city was back in order they would return to their normal duties.
But the problem is the literary evidence puts them rather later than Plataea,
Quote: Ancient Greeks made the distinction beteween DOYLOS=intenured servant and ANDRAPODON= slave (literaly "walking thing").
I don’t question the difference between state slaves and slaves held by individuals but the Scythians are clearly not mercenaries but state slave or bonded servants or what have you.
Yes The Scythian/Persian/Asian/Amazon Archer motif does continue on Attic vases after 500 BC but more typically as the enemy of Athens or as retainers in a heroic context.
But again what does a vase motif really show, the battle-axe is well represented on Attic vases as well (particularly in mixed Amazon images featuring Amazon hoplites and axe wielding troops), but as far as I know the Athenians are never suggested as fielding a mixed spear phalanx and axe armed infantry force.
Paulaallen
Why not? (With respect to Athenian horse archers)
Athenian citizens are defiantly attested as serving in the body -
Lysias (15.6) is clear on that. However the very fact that the horse archers were replaced with the prodromoi suggests you may be right; maybe you just could not train enough good Athenian horse archers.