>But no, units that even exist over thousands rather than hundreds of years,
>much less exist unchanged, are rare even in Britain. I know we like to tease
>the Yanks about how you think 100 years is a long time, but there are limits
>even for us :)
The oldest unit is the Yeoman of the Guard which dates back to the 16th Century and like the Papal Guard is a purely ceremonial. The oldest active service unit is the 1st Foot (Grenadier) Guards which goes back to just after the English Civil War. Weapons technology has moved on a bit since then. For a unit which existed unchanged for a thousand years I'd look to pre-revolutionary China, it's about the only country with that long a continuous government.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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