The standing army consisted of foot and horse,[494] the latter being mostly in chariots; and they were divided into corps, regiments, battalions, and companies. The men were officered by Chiliarchs (colonels), Hekatontarchs (captains), and Dekarchs (sergeants), as the Greeks called them. The ‘heavies’ were armed with a long strong spear and an immense shield provided with a sight-hole. Some carried the ‘Lisán’-club, the battle-axe, and the mace; and almost all had for side arms pole-axes,[495] Swords, falchions, and daggers. The ‘light bobs’ were chiefly archers and slingers, also weaponed with ‘Lisáns,’ axes, war-flails, and Swords. The chariot-corps or cavalry, besides bows and arrows, had clubs and short Swords for close quarters. The battle-axes show clear derivation from the stone celt, which supplied the hieroglyphs with the word Natr or Netr (Neter, &c.), meaning god, gods, or goddess ([Hieroglyphs]).[496] In the Demotic alphabet the axe was K (_Kelebia_). [Illustration: FIG. 152.—SINGLE-STICK IN EGYPT.] [Illustration: FIG. 153.—EGYPTIAN SOLDIER AND SHIELD.] [Illustration: FIG. 154.—EGYPTIAN SOLDIERS.] [Illustration: FIG. 155.—EGYPTIAN SOLDIER.] [Illustration: FIG. 156.—1. EGYPTIANS FIGHTING, FROM PAINTINGS OF THEBES; 2. EGYPTIAN SOLDIERS, FROM THEBAN BAS-RELIEFS.] [Illustration: FIG. 157.—BRONZE HATCHETS IN WOODEN HANDLES, BOUND WITH THONGS. (Heads, 3 and 4½ inches, Hefts, 15½ and 16½ inches.)] [Illustration: FIG. 158.—POLE-AXES.] [Illustration: FIG. 159.—KHETEN OR WAR-AXES.] The action began, at the sound of the trumpet, with an advance of light-infantry, bowmen, slingers, and javelineers. Then came the charge by the ponderous phalanx of ten thousand men, one hundred in front by one hundred deep, and flanked by chariots and cavalry. Thus the close combat was not the disorderly system of duels that prevailed in the barbarous Middle Ages of Europe. In storming fortified places they used the pavoise and testudo, the ram, the scaling-ladder, the bulwark or movable tower, and the portable bridge. They were also skilful military miners. [Heading: _THE EGYPTIAN SWORD._]