| Klerouchikon Agema (Colonial Elite Pikemen) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unit type | Pike Infantry |
| Base cost | 50  Food, 100  Wealth
|
| Ramping cost | 9  Influence
|
| Creation time | 16.09s (247t) |
| Hit points | 232 |
| Line of sight | 2 |
| Movement speed | 14 |
| Attack strength | 23 |
| Attack range | 0-2 |
| Armour | 21 |
| Population cost | 1  Population
|
| Created at | Noble Residence |
| Prerequisites |  
|
| Upgrades from | none |
| Upgrades to | none |
| Available to | Ptolemaic Egyptians |
While they are clearly weaker on the attack than other pike units, do not underestimate the Egyptian Klerouchikon Agema. They may be cheaper, and also sap your Influence, but they have several benefits: a small defensive bonus versus enemy pikes, and their fast training speed — thus, in any pike duel, you can expect these units to come out on top despite their weaker stats. For a defence-minded Egyptian player, the semi-mercenary Klerouchikon Agema are thus the ideal unit for use in battle against other Hellenistic nations that rely on the use of the sarissa, especially in set-piece battles, as they are able to last longer in combat whilst inflicting more casualties in spite of their weaker stats.
The best use for this unit thus would be as a counter-Greek unit, to be held in reserve against enemies, especially the Carthaginians and the Seleucids who have heavily armoured pike infantry of their own. Klerouchikon Agema can be used either as a defensive shield against a pike rush, or in the case of Carthage, to draw an enemy's attention away by engaging Carthaginian pike units in combat, and then pinning them in place so that reinforcements can be sent in. Outside of phalanx battles, however, Klerouchikon Agema are far less useful. Because they are clearly less effective with regards to tactical strength, any enemy able to engage them with non-pike units, especially good ones, can easily do away with them. Units such as Thureophroi or melee infantry are thus a viable choice for use against these units, since the Thureophoroi can engage at distance, while melee infantry can easily eviscerate the Klerouchikon Agema at close range. In which case, you are better advised on relying on other units — even simple hoplites may prove to be cost-effective against enemy cavalry as opposed to these costly but fragile infantrymen.
See also[]
History[]
In Ptolemaic Egypt, a "clerurchy" was a military colony, formed by expatriate soldiers who had pledged allegiance to the pharaoh. Native pharaohs, particularly Psamtik III, had made used of Greek clerurchies — the most famous of these was Naucratis on the Nile Delta — but the practice eventually became more widespread in later centuries. Under the Ptolemies a system of recruitment was put in place where soldiers were allowed an estate and servants in exchange for their service to the Egyptian government — making them a form of feudal aristocracy of sorts, with Greek, Thracian and Celtic settlers given a small estate, slaves and privileges in return for their service in pharaoh's phalanx.
The Lagid dynasts were wary of arming native Egyptians, and had actually suffered native rebellions before — the largest of these was the so-called Great Egyptian Revolt or Theban Revolt of 205-186BCE, and was sufficiently severe in that it resulted in the whole of Upper Egypt breaking off, and could be ended only with immense bloodshed. Hence, they as a rule refused to arm the local populace unlike the Carthaginians, instead preferring to rely on foreigners to serve in the army. Only when this source of manpower was cut off by the Romans did the Lagids then consider raising native Egyptians to fight for them, but by then it was too late.