Question

A theory about this group posits that a translator mistook their name for a word meaning “companion” or “follower.” A possible member of this group was forced to guard a beautiful gold-decorated plane-tree. (15[1])In an account set in Thessaly, this group is the first chosen to form an army, but (-5[1])without their general Hydarnes the Younger. (-5[1])Gold and silver pomegranate-shaped spear butts (-5[1])were wielded by (15[1])this group, (-5[1])who are sometimes conflated with the imperial (-5[1])guard’s (15[1])(*) “Apple (10[1])Bearers.” (10[1])This was the first group chosen by Mardonius to remain in Greece. (-5[2])The Median failure to break Leonidas’s lines (-5[1])forced (-5[1])Xerxes (10[1])to dispatch this (10[3]-5[1])10,000-strong (10[6]-5[1])unit (10[5])in his second (10[1])assault (10[1])at (10[1])Thermopylae. (10[6])For 10 points, “when one died, another (10[1])immediately (10[1]-5[1])replaced him” (10[1])aptly describes what elite Persian infantry unit? (10[4])■END■ (10[5]0[6])

ANSWER: Persian Immortals [or Athánatoi; prompt on the Apple Bearers or Spear Bearers until “Apple Bearers” is read; prompt on the Persian or Achaemenid army or infantry by asking “what specific unit?”; prompt on the Persian imperial guard until read; reject the “Ten Thousand”] (Some have asserted that the Apple Bearers were a separate elite unit that acted as the king’s bodyguards.)
<KT, Ancient History>
= Average correct buzz position

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
James McCurleyHarvardBoston College B3215
Jason HongMadmen and SpecialistsPaddington in Peru (2024)49-5
Owyn NoblePurdue BChicago B55-5
Zac StaplerPittPenn State61-5
Will AlstonSGV VenturesClaremont6415
Quentin MotGeorgia Tech BMilton66-5
Ali HamzehToyota Tundra Turbos — Twisting Truths - Tackling Trivia - Taming TitansIn the Mood for Buzz73-5
Adhrit YadavLambertGeorgia Tech C7415
Arunn SankarGeorgia Tech BMississippi State7510
James ByrneBristolWarwick A7610
Michal GerasimiukStanfordBerkeley A88-5
Jack MangrumInnovation Academy AInnovation Academy B88-5
Karan ShomeBUBoston College A95-5
June YinWashUSquidward Community College96-5
Gareth ThorlaksonToronto AWaterloo Basic9710
Chris ScheriRITMaryland10010
Shahar SchwartzBerkeley PastBerkeley B10010
Edward KimJohns CreekGeorgia Tech A10010
Luke PuttnamInnovation Academy CGeorgia Tech D100-5
Noah ChinVirginia Tech AVirginia Tech B10110
Tegan Kapadiabingy academyshe limp on my waltz till i feel pathetique10110
Nicholas NguyenUF CUF A10110
Marcus Forbes-GreenToronto Disband the Club 2k24Toronto Metropolitan A10110
Kunaal ChandrashekarToronto BToronto Chestnut Rice and Kamehameha10110
Albert NyangLSE AImperial A101-5
Brendan BethlehemCambridge ACambridge B10110
Christopher DechBrandeis ATufts B10210
Kevin CronkVirginia Tech CSouth Carolina10210
Skand ParvatikarASU->Stanford->ASU pipelineOld and Young10210
Stefan VladOttawa AbsolomabsolomabsolomCarleton A10210
Akshar GoyalIllinois OrangeNotre Dame10210
Charlie LowmanImperial BWarwick C10510
Michael DuWaterloo AspidistraMcMaster ApocolocyntosisBidii10610
Benjamin McAvoy-BickfordNorth Carolina ANorth Carolina B10710
Yrwin BatanMITBowdoin A10810
Armie ErbanClark HouseYale10810
Leo TaoSocial credit go vroomThe cult of SGA10810
Nick EdwardsMcGill AWaterloo Cloze10810
Travis TuJason et al.Anderson et al.10810
Kaiwen XiaoALCUU[C]SD10810
Khanh NguyenUF BUCF A11510
Logan MathisSIUEIllinois Blue116-5
Matthew WestleyPurdue AChicago A11610
Moses KitakuleIn the Mood for BuzzToyota Tundra Turbos — Twisting Truths - Tackling Trivia - Taming Titans11810
Blake JohnsonBoston College ABU12510
Nathaniel HullBerkeley AStanford12510
Samarth RamChicago BPurdue B12510
Rahim DinaImperial ALSE A12510
Lance HulmeBowdoin BTufts A1260
Sasha FillbrandtPaddington in Peru (2024)Madmen and Specialists12610
Michael SoskilPenn StatePitt1260
Dominic HeffronFlorida TechUSF12610
Clete ReinbergerValenciaUCF B1260
Anna BarkerUCF BValencia1260
Arhith DharanendraGeorgia Tech DInnovation Academy C1260
Samanyu BhupalamInnovation Academy BInnovation Academy A12610
Sriram KoritalaIllinois BlueSIUE12610
Odysseas GabrielatosWarwick BSouthampton12610
Cormac StephensonSouthamptonWarwick B1260
Ian Droessler WilsonInnovation Academy BGeorgia Tech C13810