Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/189

 BATTLE ARRAY OF DARIUS. 157 phernes ; then the Albanians and the Sakesina?. Darius liim- self was in the centre, with the choice troops of the army near and around him — the Persian select Horse-guards, called the king's kinsmen — the Persian foot-guards, carrying pikes with a golden apple at the butt-end — a regiment of Karians, or de- scendants of Karians, who had been abstracted from their homes and planted as colonists in the interior of the empire — the con- tingent of Mardi, good archers — and lastly, the mercenary Greeks, of number unknown, in whom Darius ])laced his great est confidenee. Such was the first or main line of the Persians. In the rear of it stood deep masses of Babylonians, — inhabitants of Sittake down to the Persian Gulf — Uxians, from the territory adjoin- ing Susiana to the east — and others in unknown multitude. In front of it were posted the scythed chariots, with small ad- vanced bodies of cavalry — Scythians and Baktrians on the left, with one hundred chariots — Armenians and Kappadokians on the right, with fifty more — and the remaining fifty chariots in front of the centre.^ Alexander had advanced within about seven miles of the Persian army, and four days' march since his crossing the Tigris — when he first learnt from Persian prisoners how near his enemies were. He at once halted, established on the spot a camp with ditch and stockade, and remained there for four days, in order that the soldiers might repose. On the night of the fourth day, he moved forward, yet leaving under guard in the camp the baggage, the prisoners, and the ineiFectives. He be- gan his march, over a range of low elevations which divided 1 The Persian battle order here given by Arrian (iii. 11^, is taken from Aristobulus, who affirmed that it was so set down in the official scheme of the battle, drawn up by the Persian officers, and afterwards captured with the baggage of Darius. Though thus authentic as far as it goes, it is not complete, even as to names — while it says nothing about numbers or depth or extent of front. Several names, of various contingents stated to have been present in the field, are not placed in the official return — thus the Sogdiani, the Arians, and the Indian mountaineers are mentioned by Arrian as having joined Darius (iii. 8) ; the Kossicans, by Diodorus (xvii. 59); the Sogdiani, Massagette, Belitue, Kossajans, Gortyje, Phrygians, and Kiitaonians, by Curtius (iv. 12). V^L. XTT. 14