Perioikoi Swordsmen [2024]
The perioikoi, free inhabitants but not full citizens of Sparta, played an important role in the spartan army. The exact role of the perioikoi in the spartan army may be a matter of debate among historians. Historical evidence suggests that the perioikoi possessed military equipment similar to that of the hoplites, including spears and swords.
Although literary sources are not always explicit, scholarly consensus generally accepts that perioikoi could serve as hoplites in the spartan army, although they did not have the same level of military training as spartan hoplites, they were still an essential part of the army, often occupying light troop or auxiliary roles.
They were generally equipped with weaponry that was not as sophisticated as that of the spartan hoplites, but was still effective and, although not always; they may have been equipped with javelins instead of a spear, especially if they were part of light troops. While there is no explicit evidence that troops of perioikoi armed exclusively with swords were employed, swords were part of their regular equipment, and it is likely that they were forced to use them because of shortages of supplies in times of need or crisis, or because of the poor quality of their spears compared to the spartan dorian spear.
It should be noted that the evidence is not always conclusive, and some historians argue that the perioikoi may have served in auxiliary roles or as light troops rather than formal hoplites. Interpretation of ancient sources can vary, and conclusions often depend on the context and reading of historical texts. Although classical sources and archaeological evidence suggest that the perioikoi could have served as hoplites, scholarly debate persists, and not all historians agree on the exact extent and nature of their participation in the spartan phalanx.
- Unit name: Perioikoi swordsmen
- Soldiers number: 160
- Category: Melee infantry
- Class: Heavy infantry
- Custom battle cost: 620
- Custom battle limit: 6
- Recruitment cost: 620
- Recruitment limit: 6
- Upkeep cost: 110
- Health: 55
- Base morale: 50
- Melee attack: 31
- Weapon damage: 34 (Base: 30, AP: 4)
- Projectile damage: 32 (Base: 20, AP: 12)
- Projectile range: 40
- Charge bonus: 20
- Armour: 65 (Base: 30, Shield: 35)
- Melee defence: 50 (Base: 25, Shield: 25)
- Shots per minute: N/A
- Ammunition: 2
- Good attack
- Average defence
- Average damage but low armour penetration
- Normal morale
- Disciplined
- Formation Attack
- Hide (forest)
- Shieldwall
The unit can be recruited only by (surprise) Sparta from the Hoplite Barracks (level 3 military building) and Mercenary Camp (level 4 second option military building) only in Grand Campaign. It can also be used in custom battles in Grand Campaign only by (surprise) Sparta.
Their main function is melee combat against lancer units due to the offensive superiority they have against them, although you can of course use them to fight against other types of units. They carry javelins that they will throw from a distance before entering melee combat, which is a great advantage, especially against poorly armored enemies. However, you should consider that their stats are far from being those of an elite troop (they are still perioikoi), so you should choose your targets with caution since even a unit of well-trained spearmen could easily finish them off.
They are also a good choice for sieges, as being an offensive unit they are a bit more efficient than most spearmen to, for example, fight for control of the walls during the invasion.
Their limit of units is not because they are an excessively strong troop, but rather because of "historical rigor", since as I mentioned before, there is no conclusive evidence that the spartans included the use of swordsmen units within their military formations, but in the case that they had done so, they would definitely have been composed by perioikoi and not by spartan citizens, since the latter are known for their conservatism and adherence to traditions (cough, cough, hoplite phalanx, cough, cough…).
Just subscribe, download and activate through the Mod manager in the Game launcher.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to display unit text in-game, you must have your game set to english, any other language will display blank text. This is a limitation of the game engine that there is little that can be done around; while it is possible to translate mods, it is a tedious process and requires that all mods you use that add text must be translated and contained in one file, so there is no easy way to do it for everyone at the same time.
On the other hand, while the unit will appear in the in-game encyclopedia, it will not have a historical description and instead will just say "placeholder". Again, this is a limitation of the game engine, and while it is possible to add a description, it is again a tedious process that requires all unit mods that want to display their historical description to be contained in one file… Thanks, CA.
All credits go to @Dreamlore and @Cataph, who are the original creators of the mod C&D’s Perioikoi Swordsmen. I only updated it to make it functional with the current version of the game, as well as slightly edited the unit icon, some texts and the recruitment requirements, but all the hard work was done by them! Although I have Cataph’s authorization, I was not able to contact Dreamlore. In any case, if anyone would like me to remove the mod from the workshop, please let me know and I will do it as soon as possible.
