Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

WEAKNESS OF PERSIAN ARMY. 61them and in the intervals. The king gave the war-cry for theday, and at a signal the whole mass moved forward. ThePersian army was full of gallant men ; it had for generationsbeen a terror to the Greeks, who feared to face it ; but it wasunwieldly from too vast a bulk and from lack of homogeneityand discipline, and was subject to speedy and unreasoningpanics. After a defeat a Persian army was bound to loseheavily from lack of abihty to rally for defense, and wouldoften disperse so as absolutely to vanish. Destined to act inthe plain, the chariots and horsemen and the huge squareswere utterly unsuited to hilly countries, and were sure to fallinto disorder when subjected to unusual tests.Regular sieges were unknown. Cities were captured byruse, treachery, or, on rare occasions, by stonn. Sieges werestill apt to be very long drawn out.In campaigns against barbarians, the Persian method accomplishedgood results. But their mountain ti'ibes alwaysgave them much trouble, and the civilized discipline of theGreeks they could by no means withstand.In declaring war, the Persian habit was to demand, throughheralds, earth and water as a token of submission.Greeks. — Down to the battle of Plataea (479 b. c.) therewas small change in the organization of the Greeks. Fromthat time on, many alterations came gradually about. Anumber of slaves appeared in the ranks. The first instanceof a standing army was the occasion when the Greek cities,during the Persian wars, mutually agreed to keep under armsten thousand foot, one thousand horse,and one hundred warships.Wars beyond the borders of Greece called for largerforces than had been necessary, and in addition to the citizensoldier,who had so far been the glory as well as guardianof Greece, large forces of freedmen, slaves, and particularly