Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/151

 DAEIUS AT ISSUS. 119 airy, with the Thracian and Kretan light infantry, -wire sent on the left flank to Parmenio.* Darius, informed that Alexander was approaching, resolved to Hglit where he was encamped, behind the river Pinarus. He, however, threw across the river a force of 30,000 cavalry, and 20,000 infantry, to ensure the undisturbed formation of his main force behind the river.'' He composed his phalanx or main line of battle, of 90,000 hoplites ; 30,000 Greek hoplites in the cen- tre, and 30,000 Asiatics armed as hoplites (called Kardakes,) on <^ach side of these Greeks. These men — not distributed into separate divisions, but grouped in one body or multitude^ — filled the breadth between the mountains and the sea. On the moun- tains to his left, he placed a body of 20,000 men, intended to act against the right flank and rear of Alexander. But for the great numerical mass of his vast host, he could find no room to act ; accordingly they remained useless in the rear of his Greek and ing how narrow tiic space was, sucii numerous bodies as these 30,000 horso and 20,000 foot must have found little facility in moving. Kallisthenes did not notice them, as far as we can collect from Polybius. X<Jpiov, iva iruaaovTO. The depth of this single phalanx is not given, nor do wc know the exact widtji of the ground which it occupied. Assuming a depth of sixteen, and oiie pace in breadth to each soldier, 4000 men would stand in the breadih of a stadium of 250 paces ; and therefore 80,000 men in a breadth of twenty stadia (see the calculation of Rtlstow and Kochly (p. 280) about the Mace- donian line). Assuming a depth of twenty-six, G500 men would stand in the stadium, and therefore 90,000 in a total breadth of 14 stadia, which is that given by Kallisthenes. But there must have been intervals left, greater or less, we know not how many; the covering detachments, which liad been thrown out before the river Pinarus, must have found some means of passing through to the rear, when recalled. Mr. Kinneir states that the breadth between Mount Amanus and the sea varies between one mile and a half (English) and three miles. The four- teen stadia of Kallisthenes are equivalent to nearly one English mile and three-quarters. Neither in ancient nor in modern times have Oriental armies ever been trained, by native officers, to regularity of marcli or array — see Malcolm, Hist, of Persia, ch. xxiii. vol. ii. p. 498; Volney, Travels in Egypt and Syria, vol. i. p. 124.
 * Anian, ii. 8, 4-13.
 * Compare Kallistlicnes ap. Polyb. xii. 17. ; and Anian, ii. 8, S. Consider-
 * Arrian, ii. 8, 9. ToCTovroff j'u/3 i tt t <iu?i,ayyo^ uTt'Af/c i^c!(eTo rd