This article presents an overview of the historiography of Greek mercenaries and the proliferation of the phenomenon during the fourth century BC. It evaluates theoretical approaches to the political, economic and military roles that mercenaries played in Classical Greece during that century. In doing so, it considers the ways that interstate relations between the poleis shaped the development and recruitment of this form of soldier. The article disentangles the mercenary from a rich body of scholarship in economic history, demonstrating that analysis of the roles and functions of this figure can shed light on other dimensions of the Classical period, including international relations. Finally, it signals paths that the study of Greek mercenaries might take in the coming years.

本文概述了希腊雇佣军的历史，以及公元前四世纪该现象的扩散。它评估了雇佣军在该世纪古典希腊中扮演的政治，经济和军事角色的理论方法。在此过程中，它考虑了两极之间的州际关系塑造了这种形式的士兵的发展和招募的方式。这篇文章将雇佣军从经济史上丰富的学术研究中解脱出来，表明对这个人物的角色和功能的分析可以揭示古典时期的其他方面，包括国际关系。最后，它标志着未来几年对希腊雇佣军进行研究的途径。