Another big change connected with this, both military and now social,
is the increase, the tremendous increase in the number of mercenary soldiers.
Now mercenaries were not new at this point in the Greek experience.
If you think back you remember the lyric
poet Archilochus talks about having served as a
soldier for hire, but the hoplite ideal was
the citizen-soldier fighting on behalf of his city.
After decades of warfare however,
there were huge numbers of men whose profession had become fighting.
And who were available, if I can put it this way, to the highest bidder.
They were not constrained by local loyalties by patriotism,
but they would fight for who ever paid them.
And this is again a big change. In addition.
I have, on occasion, referred to something as diaphanous or
as broad or as vague as the fatigue of the Polis.