CHAPTER VI. PERSIAN GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA. Two Persian documents illustrative of the geography of Asia.-I. Catalogue of nations in the army of Xerxes, with description of their equipments. Hellenic costume: general description. - Heavy-armed warrior with the tunic, greaves, cuirass, sword, shield, helmet, and spear. -Light-armed soldier with darts, stones, and bows and arrows, or slings. -Herodotus's account.-Shield and helmet borrowed from Aegypt.— Crests, devices, and shield-handles invented by the Carians.-Hellenic costume prevalent amongst the Aeolians, Ionians, Dorians, Hellespontines, Pamphylians, and Lydians.-Worn by Carians with falchions and daggers.-Hellenic helmet worn by Phoenicians and Syrians, with linen breastplates and shields without rims.-Barbarous costume in southern Asia Minor. Lycians with caps encircled by feathers, goat-skin cloaks, cornel-wood bows, and cane arrows without feathers.-Cilicians with woollen tunics, national helmets, and bucklers.-Milyans with clasped garments and leathern helmets.-Cabalians and Lasonians like the Cilicians.-Northern Asia Minor.-Mysians in national helmets.-Bithynians in variously coloured cloaks, fox-skin caps, etc.-Moschi, Tibareni, Macrones, and Mosynoeci in wooden helmets.-Mares in painted helmets.-Chalybes with brazen helmets, and brazen ears and horns of an ox, crests, purple cloth leggings, and hunting javelins.-Phrygian costume of peculiar boots, plaited helmets, etc.: worn by Phrygians, Mariandynians, Paphlagonians, Matienians, Syri-Cappadocians, and Armenians. Assyrian costume of linen cuirasses, helmets of brazen network, Aegyptian daggers, knotted clubs, etc.: worn by Chaldaeans and Babylonians.-Median costume of tiaras, variously-coloured cuirasses, breastplates of iron scales, loose trousers, osier bucklers, etc. : worn by Medes, Persians, and Cissians.-Bactrian costume resembling the Median, but including bamboo bows, short spears, etc.: worn by Bactrians, Sogdians, Chorasmians, Arians, and Parthians. Wooden helmets, leathern bucklers, and short spears of the Saspeires.-Goat-skin mantles and peculiar bows of the Caspii, Pactyes, Paricanii, Utii, and Myci. Peculian_lassos carried by the Sagartians.-Beautifully dyed garments of the Sarangae.-Loose trousers, pointed hats, peculiar bows, daggers, and battle-axes of the Sacae beyond the Oxus.-Cotton garments and bamboo bows of the Indians. Crane-skin bucklers and horse-head helmets of the Asiatic Aethiopians.-Costume of nations not included in Persian Asia.-Cloaks and long bows of the Arabs.—Wooden helmets and leathern bucklers of the Colchians.-Plaited helmets, hollow shields with large rims, pikes, and hatchets of the Aegyptians.— Hellenic armour and Persian head-dress of the Cyprians. Libyan Aethiopians with bodies half white and half red, clothed in lion and panther skins, and carrying long bows, cane arrows tipped with stone, Y ASIA. CHAP. VI. ASIA. Two Per sian docu ments illustrative of the geogra phy of Herodotus. javelins tipped with horn, and knotted clubs.-Leathern garments of the western Libyans.-Proposed comparison of Herodotus's description with the monuments of Persepolis and Nineveh.-II. Royal highway from Sardis to Susa.-Stations and caravanserais all the way.-Lydia and Phrygia: 20 stations, 944 parasangs.-River Halys: gates and fort.Cappadocia 28 stations, 104 parasangs.-Cilicia: 3 stations, 15 parasangs. Ferry over the Euphrates.-Armenia: 15 stations, 564 parasangs. -Four rivers to be ferried: the Tigris, Zabatus Major, Zabatus Minor, and Gyndes.—Matiene: 4 stations.-Cissia: 11 stations, 424 parasangs. -Mistake in the sum total. Hiatus in Matiene. Probably never filled in by Herodotus. — Length of the whole journey from Ephesus to Susa. Position of the nations in the map of Aristagoras.-Identification of the ancient road with the modern caravan route. WE have thus completed the geography of the CHAP. VI. Asia of Herodotus. Before however we turn to the last of the three continents, we have thought it advisable to devote another chapter to a further consideration of the two important Persian documents, of which our author has preserved either a copy or an abridgment, and to which we have continually referred whilst developing the geography of the satrapies. These documents are, first, the catalogue of nations in the army of Xerxes; and second, the description of the royal road between Sardis and Susa. The first embraces not only a list of all the nations in the infantry, cavalry, and navy of Persia, but also includes an account of their equipments and origin; and from this we shall endeavour to extract what information we can respecting the costume of the different people who inhabited the Asiatic continent. The second document contains a full description of the royal road through the western provinces of the empire, with an account of the countries that were traversed, rivers that were crossed, and stations that were passed through, along the whole extent of the route; and this will be found of the utmost service in settling the topography of numerous important nations. I. Catalogue of the na army of Xerxes, with de The Catalogue of Nations is the first which we tions in the shall examine, and from this we obtain the following information. The Hellenic equipment was generally adopted in western Asia Minor, Phoenicia, and their equip- Palaestine, but the rude mountaineers of the northern and southern provinces of Asia Minor, were armed scription of ments. ASIA. in a more barbarous fashion. The Phrygian costume prevailed not only in Phrygia, but eastward CHAP. VI. along the mountains of Armenia as far as those of Zagros, or Kurdistan. Another style, in some respects similar to the Aegyptian, was worn by the Assyrian nations on the Euphrates and Tigris. Still more to the east, the Median costume prevailed in Media, Cissia, Persia Proper, and the nations generally between the Caspian and Erythraean, with the exception of some mountaineers, who wore a dress more suited to an inclement climate. Lastly, beyond these countries the Bactrian equipment was generally adopted as far as the Indus, though the Indians in the east, the Aethiopians in the south, and the Sacae in the far north, wore a different and peculiar costume. costume: Heavy-arm with the rass, sword, met, and The Hellenic costume is not described by He- Hellenic rodotus. We learn, however, from Homer,' that the general deheavy-armed warrior, having already a tunic around scription. his body, put on, first, his metal greaves lined with ed warrior leather or felt; secondly, his cuirass of metal, or tunic, hard leather, with the belt, vn, and the underneath greaves, cuiband, μiron; thirdly, his short, straight, two-edged shield, hel-" sword was hung on the left side of his body by means spear. of a belt which passed over the right shoulder; fourthly, the large round shield made of wood, or wicker, covered over with ox-hides several folds deep, and bound round the edge with a metal rim; fifthly, he put on his helmet; sixthly, and lastly, he took his spear. The light-armed soldier carried no ed soldier shield, and wore a much slighter covering than the with darts, cuirass; and, instead of the sword and spear, com- bows and monly fought with darts, stones, bows and arrows, slings. or slings. From Herodotus we learn that the shield Herodotus's and helmet were borrowed from the Aegyptians, Shield and and that the custom of fastening crests upon helmets, rowed from and of putting devices upon shields, was taken from Crests, de 2 1 Il. iii. 328-339; iv. 132-138; xi. 15-45; xvi. 130—142; xix. 364— 391. The Greek soldiers used nearly the same armour ever afterwards. They also put it on in the same order. Dr. Smith, Dict. of Gr. and Rom. Ant., art. Arma. 2 iv. 180. Light-arm stones, and arrows, or account. helmet bor Aegypt. ASIA. CHAP. VI. vices, and shield-han dles, invent ed by the Carians. Hellenic costume prevalent Aeolians, Ionians, phylians, and Lydians. the Carians.' It also seems that in ancient times shields were carried without handles, and merely guided by leathern thongs fastened round the neck and left shoulder. This inconvenience was removed by another invention of the Carians, who introduced handles, consisting of a band of metal, wood, or leather, which was placed across the inside from rim to rim, like the diameter of a circle. 2 5 3 8 The nations in the army of Xerxes who wore the Hellenic equipment, were the Aeolians, Ionians,* amongst the Dorians, Hellespontines, and Pamphylians,' who all served in the navy, and the Lydians, who beHellespon longed to the infantry. The Carians' also fought tines, Pam- on board the fleet in the same accoutrements, but were armed with crooked swords or falchions, and two-edged knives or daggers. The Phoenicians and Syrians of Palaestine served likewise in the navy, wearing the Hellenic helmet, which we have already seen was borrowed from the Aegyptians: they however wore breastplates of wadded linen, Phoenicians and carried shields without rims, and javelins.10 Worn by Carians with fal chions and daggers. Hellenic helmet, worn by and Syrians, with linen breastplate, and shields without rims. costume in southern The equipments of the more barbarous tribes of Asia Minor presented a little more variety. In the southern provinces were the Lycians and Cilicians, Barbarian who served in the navy; and the Milyans, Cabalians, and Lasonians, who joined the infantry. The Asia Minor. Lycians wore greaves and breastplates, and caps encircled with feathers instead of helmets. Over their shoulders were hung cloaks of goat-skins. Like their neighbours, the Carians, they were armed with nel-wood falchions and daggers, and they also carried javelins, cane arrows and bows and arrows. The bows were made of dog-wood, the cornelian cherry; the arrows were of cane, and had no feathers."1 Lycians with caps encircled by feathers, goat-skin cloaks, cor bows, and without fea thers. Cilicians with wool The Cilicians wore woollen tunics and helmets len tunics, peculiar to their country. Instead of the usual large and national shield, they carried one much smaller and lighter, which may be called a buckler, and was made of raw hides. Each man was armed with two javelins, helmets, and buck lers. ASIA. garments and a sword very much like the Aegyptian scimetar.' Of the three nations who joined the infantry, the CHAP. VI. Milyans wore garments which fastened with clasps, Milyans and helmets made of tanned skins; and they were with clasped armed with short lances, and the Lycian bow of and leacornel-wood. The Cabalians and Lasonians, who mer helseem to have been identical, wore the same costume and Lasonias the Cilicians.3 2 thern mets. Cabalians ans like the Cilicians. helmets. in variously skin caps, Tibareni, In northern Asia Minor, we have to notice the Northern Mysians, Bithynians, and races south-east of the Mysians in Pontus, all of whom served in the infantry. Of these, national the Mysians wore helmets peculiar to their country, and carried small shields and javelins hardened by Bithynians fire. The Bithynians, or Asiatic Thracians, as they coloured are called, wore tunics, and cloaks of various colours cloaks, foxover them. They also had buskins of fawn-skin on etc. their legs, and fox-skins on their heads. Their arms consisted of javelins, light bucklers, and small daggers. Much farther to the east, and along the south-eastern shore of the Euxine, were the Moschi, Moschi, Tibareni, Macrones, and Mosynoeci, wearing wooden Macrones, helmets, and carrying light bucklers and spears noeci, in with very large points; and the Mares with painted wooden helhelmets, bucklers, and javelins. The Chalybes Mares in also, who may be identified with that unknown na- mets. tion which possessed an oracle of Ares, lived in the Chalybes same quarter. They wore brazen helmets, and helmets, also the ears and horns of an ox, likewise made of ears, and brass, and over these were crests. Their legs were horns of an wrapped in pieces of purple cloth. They carried purple cloth bucklers of raw hides, and two of the javelins used and huntfor hunting wolves. 10 2 vii. 77. 8 3 Ibid. 9 4 vii. 74. 1 vii. 91. 5 Xenophon describes this dress as an eye-witness. says, "a great deal of snow, and the cold was so severe that the water which the servants brought in for the repast, and even the wine in the vessels, was all frozen, and many of the soldiers had their noses and ears frost-bitten. We then found that the Thracians were right in wrapping up their head and ears in fox-skins, and in wearing, when on horseback, instead of the chlamys, tunics which cover not only their breasts, but their thighs, with long robes which hang down to their feet.” Anab. vii. 4. 8 vii. 79. 9 Comp. p. 230. 10 vii. 76. 6 vii. 75. 7 vii. 78. and Mosy mets. painted hel with brazen and brazen ox, crests, leggings, ing javelins. |