Agema

In ancient Macedonia, the Agema, meaning literally "the guards", were the elite guards.

They were hypaspists and asthetairoi, and later argyraspids (silver shields). In the eastern Diadochi States (the Seleucid Empire, Ptolemaic Egypt, the Kingdom of Bactria) they were the infantry guards of the King. The eastern Agema guards wore bronze plate, Phrygian (or Thracian) helmet and Argive shield, and carried sarissa and short sword.

The Agema in the Seleucid Army

The Agema had a full name, ‘The Agema of the Hypaspists’. The fact that there is an absence of them in detailed writings about the Seleucid campaigns may be due that they only retained the second half of their name and were the Hypaspists. They formed a crack force within the Infantry Guardsmen corps.As well as an infantry unit, it is also noted that the Seleucid Guard cavalry comprised of numerous units, one of which being called the Agema.

Modern use of the term

Nowadays in modern Greek army, Agema is the squad that hoists the national flag in the morning and dips it in the evening. The same word is used for the group of soldiers that perform an honorary march or even act as firing squad to honor an important national anniversary or person.