YOUNG SOLDIERS  

Boy soldiers in the American Civil War

There is no way of knowing the age of Saul's sons when they died beside him in that last desperate battle on the slopes of Mount Gilboa - but they cannot have been much older than the boy soldiers in this tragic photograph from the American Civil War.

Young men are used in battle for several reasons:

• they are confident that nothing can really harm them - a cause, incidentally, of the high proportion of young men who die in car accidents
• they are sometimes seen as a last resort, when older, more experienced soldiers are no longer available
• they see war as an opportunity for adventure.

In Saul's case, his sons fought because there was no other option. Their situation was desperate. Their father and his army faced overwhelming numbers and defeat was almost certain.

In the event of defeat, the princes would be executed by the enemy. Royal princes in the ancient world were never allowed to survive the overthrow of their father. This is why, for example, the seventy young princes of the Royal House of Omri were beheaded by Jehu when he killed King Joram and his mother Queen Jezebel.