politburo diktat 2.0

The Battle of Cunaxa, between Artaxerxes’ Persian forces and the Greek forces of (the just killed) Cyrus, continued after Cyrus’s death.

The movement of the forces is quite impossible to describe without diagrams, but three general points might help understand the action: The Persian forces of the Great King outnumbered the Greeks and thus their battle line extended farther, and at any point in the action, the Greeks had to worry about being outflanked. After the first encounter (in Chapter 9), the armies seemed to “pass through” each other, so that in the second phase (described here), both sides had to change their front, a fairly complex maneuver. The battle took place along the Euphrates river, and with Greeks’ right wing placed securely next to it (to prevent out-flanking on that side). Lastly, even after the armies turned themselves around, the original left wing, was still called that by Xenophon, although it was now on the right. To be literal, the left wing was literally called the “wing of honor,” and if you think about, it was still the same men and formations and leaders as before, they were just facing the other way.

One detail of vocabulary: Cyrus’ Greek concubine, after being “plundered and captured” by the Persians somehow escaped to the Greek lines, described in Greek as “gymne,” or in English, “naked” (related to the word “gymnasium” where ancient athletes exercised naked). But in the footnotes to my 19th Century text, the editors take pains to describe the word as meaning “clad only in her tunic, missing her outer garments.” I don’t know if there is some contextual basis for that translation, or just Victorian prudery.

Then it was that Cyrus’ head and right hand were cut off. Then the King, and those with him, pursuing, fell upon Cyrus’ camp, and Ariaeus’ men did not stand, but fled through the camp to the staging place whence they had come, said to be four parasangs away. Meanwhile, the King’s men plundered (the camp), capturing among other things, Cyrus’ Phocaean concubine, said to be both beautiful and clever. The younger Milesian captive escaped naked from the King’s men to the Greeks, who happened to be in the baggage train under arms and in formation; they killed many of the plunderers, but also lost some of their own. Not fleeing at all, but they saved this one and others, whatever could get within their lines, both man and property, they rescued.

Then the King and the Greeks were 30 stadia apart from each other, the Greeks pursuing their opponents as if in complete victory, the Persians plundering, as if they had already won a complete victory. But then, while Greeks realized that the King with his army, was in their baggage train, the King for his part heard again from Tissaphernes that the Greeks had defeated the (wing) opposite them and were coming forward in pursuit. Just then while the King rallied and formed up his forces, Clearchus wanted Proxenus … summoning … (for he was closest) … if he would send some or all to go, helping, to the camp. At this point, the King clearly was attacking again, as it seemed, in the rear. And while the Greeks prepared to reverse their front, so they could meet the expected onslaught, the King did not attack, but passed by outside of the left wing, recovering those who had deserted to the Greeks, as well as Tissaphernes and his men.

For Tissaphernes, in the first encounter, did not run away, but advanced along the river against the Greek peltasts; he didn’t kill anyone in this movement, as the Greeks stood aside, throwing javelins and driving them away. Episthenes of Amphilocis commanded the peltasts and told them to be prudent. Thus, Tissaphernes, getting the worst of it, gave up the fight, and did not turn around, but reached the Greek camp where he met up with the King and so together again they marched in formation. And when they came towards the left wing of the Greek army, the Greeks feared they might come at the wing and outflanking it, cut them to pieces. So it seemed like a good idea to pull back the exposed wing to put the river behind them.