Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
70. Of the Ethiopians above Egypt and of the Arabians the commander, I
say, was Arsames; but the Ethiopians from the direction of the sunrising
(for the Ethiopians were in two bodies) had been appointed to serve with
the Indians, being in no way different from the other Ethiopians, but in
their language and in the nature of their hair only; for the Ethiopians
from the East are straight-haired, but those of Libya have hair more
thick and woolly than that of any other men. These Ethiopians from Asia
were armed for the most part like the Indians, but they had upon their
heads the skin of a horse's forehead flayed off with the ears and the
mane, and the mane served instead of a crest, while they had the ears of
the horse set up straight and stiff: and instead of shields they used to
make defences to hold before themselves of the skins of cranes.
71. The Libyans went with equipments of leather, and they used javelins
burnt at the point. These acknowledged as their commander Massages the
son of Oarizos.
72. The Paphlagonians served with plaited helmets upon their heads,
small shields, and spears of no great size, and also javelins and
daggers; and about their feet native boots reaching up to the middle of
the shin. The Ligyans and Matienians and Mariandynoi and Syrians served
with the same equipment as the Paphlagonians: these Syrians are called
by the Persians Cappadokians. Of the Paphlagonians and Matienians the
commander was Dotos the son of Megasidros, and of the Mariandynoi and
Lygians and Syrians, Gobryas, who was the son of Dareios and Artystone.
73. The Phrygians had an equipment very like that of the Paphlagonians
with some slight difference. Now the Phrygians, as the Macedonians say,
used to be called Brigians during the time that they were natives of
Europe and dwelt with the Macedonians; but after they had changed into
Asia, with their country they changed also their name and were called
Phrygians. The Armenians were armed just like the Phrygians, being
settlers from the Phrygians. Of these two together the commander was
Artochmes, who was married to a daughter of Dareios.
74. The Lydians had arms very closely resembling those of the Hellenes.
Now the Lydians were in old time called Medonians, and they were named
again after Lydos the son of Atys, changing their former name. The
Mysians had upon their heads native helmets, and they bore small shields
and used javelins burnt at the point. These are settlers from the
Lydians, and from mount Olympos they are called Olympienoi. Of
the Lydians and Mysians the commander was Artaphrenes the son of
Artaphrenes, he who invaded Marathon together with Datis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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