herodotus

short swords:[66] thus were these equipped; and they acknowledged astheir leader Ariomardos the brother of Artyphios. The Sarangians wereconspicuous among the rest by wearing dyed garments; and they hadboots reaching up to the knee, and Median bows and spears: of thesethe commander was Pherendates the son of Megabazos. The Pactyans werewearers of skin coats[67] and had native bows and daggers: theseacknowledged as their commander Artaÿntes the son of Ithamitres. 68.The Utians and Mycans and Paricanians were equipped like the Pactyans:of these the commanders were, Arsamenes the son of Dareios of theUtians and Mycans, and of the Paricanians Siromitres the son ofOiobazos. 69. The Arabians wore loose mantles[68] girt up, and theycarried at their right side bows that bent backward[69] of greatlength. The Ethiopians had skins of leopards and lions tied upon them,and bows made of a slip[70] of palm-wood, which were of great length,not less than four cubits, and for them small arrows of reed with asharpened stone at the head instead of iron, the same stone with whichthey engrave seals: in addition to this they had spears, and on themwas the sharpened horn of a gazelle by way of a spear-head, and theyhad also clubs with knobs upon them. Of their body they used to smearover half with white,[71] when they went into battle, and the otherhalf with red.[72] Of the Arabians and the Ethiopians who dwelt aboveEgypt the commander was Arsames, the son of Dareios and of Artystone,the daughter of Cyrus, whom Dareios loved most of all his wives, andhad an image made of her of beaten gold. 70. Of the Ethiopians aboveEgypt and of the Arabians the commander, I say, was Arsames; but theEthiopians from the direction of the sunrising (for the Ethiopianswere in two bodies) had been appointed to serve with the Indians,being in no way different from the other Ethiopians, but in theirlanguage and in the nature of their hair only; for the Ethiopians fromthe East are straight-haired, but those of Libya have hair more thickand woolly than that of any other men. These Ethiopians from Asia werearmed for the most part like the Indians, but they had upon theirheads the skin of a horse's forehead flayed off with the ears and themane, and the mane served instead of a crest, while they had the earsof the horse set up straight and stiff: and instead of shields theyused to make defences to hold before themselves of the skins ofcranes. 71. The Libyans went with equipments of leather, and they usedjavelins burnt at the point. These acknowledged as their commanderMassages the son of Oarizos. 72. The Paphlagonians served with plaitedhelmets upon their heads, small shields, and spears of no great size,and also javelins and daggers; and about their feet native bootsreaching up to the middle of the shin. The Ligyans and Matienians andMariandynoi and Syrians served with the same equipment as thePaphlagonians: these Syrians are called by the Persians Cappadokians.Of the Paphlagonians and Matienians the commander was Dotos the son ofMegasidros, and of the Mariandynoi and Lygians and Syrians, Gobryas,