Book 7
The Arabians wore mantles girded up, and carried at their right side long bows curving backwards.That is, the ends of the bow when unstrung curved upwards, against the natural curve of the whole; which would of course increase its power. The Ethiopians were wrapped in skins of leopards and lions, and carried bows made of palmwood strips, no less than four cubits long, and short arrows pointed not with iron but with a sharpened stone that they use to carve seals; furthermore, they had spears pointed with a gazelle's horn sharpened like a lance, and also studded clubs.
When they went into battle they painted half their bodies with gypsum and the other half with vermilion. The Arabians and the Ethiopians who dwell above Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt had as commander Arsames, the son of Darius and Artystone daughter of Cyrus, whom Darius loved best of his wives; he had an image made of her of hammered gold.
The Ethiopians above Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt and the Arabians had Arsames for commander, while the Ethiopians of the eastFor these see Hdt. 3.94. The “eastern Ethiopians” were apparently in or near +Baluchistan [66,28] (province), Pakistan, Asia Beluchistan. (for there were two kinds of them in the army) served with the Indians; they were not different in appearance from the others, only in speech and hair: the Ethiopians from the east are straight-haired, but the ones from Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya have the woolliest hair of all men.
These Ethiopians of Asia (continent)Asia were for the most part armed like the Indians; but they wore on their heads the skins of horses' foreheads, stripped from the head with ears and mane; the mane served them for a crest, and they wore the horses' ears stiff and upright; for shields they had bucklers of the skin of cranes.
The Libyans came in leather garments, using javelins of burnt wood. Their commander was Massages son of Oarizus.
The Paphlagonians in the army had woven helmets on their heads, and small shields and short spears, and also javelins and daggers; they wore their native shoes that reach midway to the knee. The Ligyes and Matieni and Mariandyni and Syrians were equipped like the Paphlagonians. These Syrians are called by the Persians Cappadocians.
Dotus son of Megasidrus was commander of the Paphlagonians and Matieni, Gobryas son of Darius and Artystone of the Mariandyni and Ligyes and Syrians.
The Phrygian equipment was very similar to the Paphlagonian, with only a small difference. As the Macedonians say, these Phrygians were called Briges as long as they dwelt in Europe (continent)Europe, where they were neighbors of the Macedonians; but when they changed their home to Asia (continent)Asia, they changed their name also and were called Phrygians.This tends to support a reversal of Herodotus account of racial migration in Hdt. 7.20; see the note there. The Armenians, who are settlers from Phrygia (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Phrygia, were armed like the Phrygians. Both these together had as their commander Artochmes, who had married a daughter of Darius.
The Lydian armor was most similar to the Greek. The Lydians were formerly called Meiones, until they changed their name and were called after Lydus son of Atys. The Mysians wore on their heads their native helmets, carrying small shields and javelins of burnt wood.
They are settlers from Lydia [27.516,38.683] (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Lydia, and are called Olympieni after the mountain +Olympus (mountain), Nomos Larisis, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Olympus. The commander of the Lydians and Mysians was that Artaphrenes son of Artaphrenes, who attacked Marathon with Datis.
The Thracians in the army wore fox-skin caps on their heads, and tunics on their bodies; over these they wore embroidered mantles; they had shoes of fawnskin on their feet and legs; they also had javelins and little shields and daggers.
They took the name of Bithynians after they crossed over to Asia (continent)Asia; before that they were called (as they themselves say) Strymonians, since they lived by the Strymon; they say that they were driven from their homes by Teucrians and Mysians. The commander of the Thracians of Asia (continent)Asia was Bassaces son of Artabanus.
The <Pisidians> had little shields of raw oxhide; each man carried two wolf-hunters' spears; they wore helmets of bronze, and on these helmets were the ears and horns of oxen wrought in bronze, and also crests; their legs were wrapped around with strips of purple rags. Among these men is a place of divination sacred to Ares.
The Cabelees,From a district bordered by +Caria [28,37.5] (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Caria, Phrygia (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Phrygia, +Pisidia (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Pisidia, and +Lycia (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Lycia. who are Meiones and are called Lasonii, had the same equipment as the Cilicians; when I come in my narrative to the place of the Cilicians, I will then declare what it was. The Milyae had short spears and garments fastened by brooches; some of them carried Lycian bows and wore caps of skin on their heads. The commander of all these was Badres son of Hystanes.
The Moschi wore wooden helmets on their heads, and carried shields and small spears with long points. The Tibareni and Macrones and Mossynoeci in the army were equipped like the Moschi. The commanders who marshalled them were, for the Moschi and Tibareni, Ariomardus son of Darius and Parmys, the daughter of Cyrus' son Smerdis; for the Macrones and Mossynoeci, Artayctes son of Cherasmis, who was governor of Sestos [26.4,40.2833] (Perseus)Sestus on the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont.
The Mares wore on their heads their native woven helmets, and carried javelins and small hide shields. The Colchians had wooden helmets and small shields of raw oxhide and short spears, and also swords. The commander of the Mares and Colchians was Pharandates son of Teaspis. The Alarodians and Saspires in the army were armed like the Colchians; Masistius son of Siromitres was their commander.
The island tribes that came from the +Red Sea [42,15] (sea) Red Sea, and from the islands where the king settles those who are called Exiles, wore dress and armor very similar to the Median. The commander of these islanders was Mardontes son of Bagaeus, who in the next year479. was general at Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale and died in the battle.
These are the nations that marched by the mainland and had their places in the infantry. The commanders of this army were those whom I have mentioned, and they were the ones who marshalled and numbered them and appointed captains of thousands and ten thousands; the captains of ten thousands appointed the captains of hundreds and of tens. There were others who were leaders of companies and nations.That is, native leaders, not the regular officers of the army.
These were the commanders, as I have said; the generals of these and of the whole infantry were Mardonius son of Gobryas, Tritantaechmes son of that Artabanus who delivered the opinion that there should be no expedition against Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, Smerdomenes son of Otanes (these two latter were sons of Darius' brothers, and thus they were Xerxes' cousins), Masistes son of Darius and Atossa, Gergis son of Ariazus, and Megabyzus son of Zopyrus.
These were the generals of the whole infantry, except the Ten Thousand. Hydarnes son of Hydarnes was general of these picked ten thousand Persians, who were called Immortals for this reason: when any one of them was forced to fall out of the number by death or sickness, another was chosen so that they were never more or fewer than ten thousand.
The Persians showed the richest adornment of all, and they were the best men in the army. Their equipment was such as I have said; beyond this they stood out by the abundance of gold that they had. They also brought carriages bearing concubines and many well-equipped servants; camels and beasts of burden carried food for them, apart from the rest of the army.
There are horsemen in these nations, but not all of them furnished cavalry. Only the following did so: the Persians, equipped like their infantry, except that some of them wore headgear of hammered bronze and iron.
There are also certain nomads called Sagartian; they are Persian in speech, and the fashion of their equipment is somewhat between the Persian and the Pactyan; they furnished eight thousand horsemen. It is their custom to carry no armor of bronze or iron, except only daggers, and to use ropes of twisted leather.i.e. lassoes.
They go to battle relying on these. This is the manner of fighting of these men: when they are at close quarters with their enemy, they throw their ropes, which have a noose at the end; whatever he catches, horse or man, each man drags to himself, and the enemy is entangled in the coils and slain. Such is their manner of fighting; they were marshalled with the Persians.
The Median cavalry were equipped like their infantry, and the Cissians similarly. The Indians were armed in the same manner as their infantry; they rode swift horses and drove chariots drawn by horses and wild asses. The Bactrians were equipped as were their foot, and the Caspians in the same manner.
The Libyans, too, were armed like the men of their infantry, and all of them also drove chariots. In the same manner the Caspians and Paricanians were armed as the men of their infantry. The Arabians had the same equipment as the men of their infantry, and all of them rode on camels no less swift than horses.
These nations alone were on horseback; the number of the horsemen was shown to be eighty thousand, besides the camels and the chariots. All the rest of the horsemen were ranked with their companies, but the Arabians were posted last. Since horses cannot endure camels, their place was in the rear, so that the horses would not be frightened.
The captains of cavalry were Harmamithres and Tithaeus, sons of Datis; the third who was captain with them, Pharnuches, had been left behind sick at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis. As they set forth from Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, an unwelcome mishap befell him: a dog ran under the feet of the horse he was riding, and the horse was taken by surprise and frightened, so it reared up and threw Pharnuches; after his fall he vomited blood and began to waste away.
The horse was immediately dealt with according to Pharnuces' command; his servants led it away to the place where it had thrown their master, and cut off its legs at the knee. Thus it was that Pharnuches lost his command.
The number of the triremes was twelve hundred and seven, and they were furnished by the following: the Phoenicians with the Syrians of +Palestine [35.333,31.916] (region (general)), Asia Palestine furnished three hundred; for their equipment, they had on their heads helmets very close to the Greek in style; they wore linen breastplates, and carried shields without rims, and javelins.
These Phoenicians formerly dwelt, as they themselves say, by the +Red Sea [42,15] (sea) Red Sea; they crossed from there and now inhabit the seacoast of +Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria. This part of +Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria as far as Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt is all called +Palestine [35.333,31.916] (region (general)), Asia Palestine.
The Egyptians furnished two hundred ships. They wore woven helmets and carried hollow shields with broad rims, and spears for sea-warfare, and great battle-axes. Most of them wore cuirasses and carried long swords.
Such was their armor. The Cyprians furnished a hundred and fifty ships; for their equipment, their princes wore turbans wrapped around their heads, and the people wore tunics, but in all else they were like the Greeks. These are their tribes:That is, the entire population contains everywhere these component parts; they are not locally separate. some are from Salamis [33.9,35.166] (deserted settlement), Famagusta, Cyprus, AsiaSalamis and Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens, some from +Arcadia [22.25,37.583] (department), Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Arcadia, some from Cythnus, some from Phoenice, and some from Ethiopia [39,8] (nation), AfricaEthiopia, as the Cyprians themselves say.
The Cilicians furnished a hundred ships. They also wore on their heads their native helmets, carried bucklers of raw oxhide for shields, and were clad in woollen tunics; each had two javelins and a sword very close in style to the knives of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt. These Cilicians were formerly called Hypachaei, and took their name from Cilix son of Agenor, a Phoenician. Agenor appears to represent the Phoenician Baal. The Pamphylians furnished a hundred ships: they were armed like the Greeks. These Pamphylians are descended from the Trojans of the diaspora who followed Amphilochus and Calchas.
The Lycians furnished fifty ships; they wore cuirasses and greaves, and carried cornel-wood bows and unfeathered arrows and javelins; goat-skins hung from their shoulders, and they wore on their heads caps crowned with feathers; they also had daggers and scimitars. The Lycians are from +Crete [25,35.166] (region), Greece, Europe Crete and were once called Termilae; they took their name from Lycus son of Pandion, an Athenian.
The Dorians of Asia (continent)Asia furnished thirty ships; their armor was Greek; they are of Peloponnesian descent. The Carians furnished seventy ships; they had scimitars and daggers, but the rest of their equipment was Greek. I have said in the beginning of my historyIn Hdt. 1.171. what they were formerly called.
The Ionians furnished a hundred ships; their equipment was like the Greek. These Ionians, as long as they were in the +Peloponnese [22,37.5] (region), Greece, Europe Peloponnese, dwelt in what is now called +Achaea [21.75,38.25] (department), Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Achaia, and before Danaus and Xuthus came to the +Peloponnese [22,37.5] (region), Greece, Europe Peloponnese, as the Greeks say, they were called Aegialian Pelasgians. Herodotus generally uses the name “Pelasgian” for the oldest known population of Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeGreece: cp. Hdt. 1.146; Hdt. 2.171. They were named Ionians after Ion the son of Xuthus.
The islanders provided seventeen ships and were armed like Greeks; they were also of Pelasgian stock, which was later called Ionian for the same reason as were the Ionians of the twelve cities,For the twelve cities, see Hdt. 1.142. who came from Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens. The Aeolians furnished sixty ships and were equipped like Greeks; formerly they were called Pelasgian, as the Greek story goes.
Of the people of the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont, the people of Abydus [26.416,40.2] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Abydos had been charged by the king to remain at home and guard the bridges; the rest of the people from +Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Pontus who came with the army furnished a hundred ships and were equipped like Greeks. They were settlers from the Ionians and Dorians.
Persians and Medes and Sacae served as soldiers on all the ships. The most seaworthy ships were furnished by the Phoenicians, and among them by the Sidonians. All of these, as with those who were marshalled in the infantry, each had their native leaders, whose names I do not record, since it is not necessary for the purpose of my history.