The Strength and Organization of the Persian Army at Plataea

[Sean Manning]

Well, the evidence suggests there were only a few thousand Indians. It is surprising that he mentions them, since they were from a remote area and we have no evidence that they were especially good or bad troops. But bringing at least a few troops from every people in a big royal army seems to have been associated with the Persian ideology of "many lands, one king of kings." The evidence I have founds supports the idea that most of these contingents were small in number and little used in battle.

The most likely explanantion, propounded by Cawkwell, is that Herodotus' army list is a satrapal list or "list of nations" (as with Behistun for example) that dates to the early part of Xerxes' reign. This allows for Herodotus to assign a contingent for each. It also explains the missing Medes such as the Mardians and Cadusians as well as the lumping of ethnic contingents under commanders with absolutely no attachment to them: Artayktes, "regent of Sestos" who commanded the troops from the Balck Sea.

I agree that Herodotus' 'list of contingents' may well come from some other source than a description of Xerxes' army. Whether every satrapy did send a small contingent is something we will never know for sure. But the Plataea list is quite different.

In all of the battles we hear of predominantly Iranian troops. It is more likely that they formed the bulk of the invasion forces. Even Herodotus, supposedly in possession of an "order of battle", can find no real place for the Egyptians (hitherto marines), Ethiopians, Mysians and Phrygians who he resorts to describing as "mixed up as well" in the line...somewhere.

Yes, and my evidence supports this. Four sevenths of the Persian line was West Iranians, two sevenths Greeks, and one seventh other contingents including Saca and Bactrians who we know were prominent in Persian armies. The only oddities are the Indians, the Egyptian marines, and the various skirmishers from the lands bordering the Aegean. I'm suspicious of the Egyptians and surprised by the Indians, but don't think any of these can be rejected.

As for Xerxes taking the bulk of the land forces with him on his "flight", most unlikely. He returned - reasonably continently - through a subdued satrapy with his guard. Even should we acknowledge Artabazus going with him with a large contingent, it returned for Plataea.

Again, I mostly agree.

As for the hoplites, it is very likely from an official list, but mind the round figures given for each force, it is not from a muster roll, it is probably the contingents the each Greek city promised to send. Reality, as always, would be a considerably lower number. The research of David Parrot on French armies in the 17th century shows that real strengthon average was about 60% of the official strength, that would put the Hoplites at about 25.000.

That is why I said it may be optimistic and need to be discounted by some fraction. I wouldn't discount is as far as 40%, however, because the situation was very different from a seventeenth-century war.