02-15-2012, 11:26 PM
Let's tone it down a bit first. Second, why don't you propose Roman armies numbered in the millions? Or Greek ones?
Three years preparing for a campaign is not that much, really. Most likely the time it took to organize the army, build supply dumps for the navy and converge it all into a small frontier province. Logistically, the main grain producing areas of the empire were Mesopotamia, Egypt and India. Anatolia was quite decent but not enough to supply an army that would outnumber the populace of a small satrapy. The immense required supplies for a marching force need to constantly flow in, despite the fact that the army is not a fixed location. The pack animals and cavalry horses need grazing fields. There must be a constant supply of water. I don't think you realize how much 3 million liters is... Or how much 5 thousand tonnes of food is. Carriages filled with supplies were not a quick way of transport by any means - you aren't going to catch up with an army in Lydia if you're a cart filled to the brim with supplies from Babylon.
In the end, none of this really matters since only 30 thousand soldiers are recorded to have engaged at all.
Three years preparing for a campaign is not that much, really. Most likely the time it took to organize the army, build supply dumps for the navy and converge it all into a small frontier province. Logistically, the main grain producing areas of the empire were Mesopotamia, Egypt and India. Anatolia was quite decent but not enough to supply an army that would outnumber the populace of a small satrapy. The immense required supplies for a marching force need to constantly flow in, despite the fact that the army is not a fixed location. The pack animals and cavalry horses need grazing fields. There must be a constant supply of water. I don't think you realize how much 3 million liters is... Or how much 5 thousand tonnes of food is. Carriages filled with supplies were not a quick way of transport by any means - you aren't going to catch up with an army in Lydia if you're a cart filled to the brim with supplies from Babylon.
In the end, none of this really matters since only 30 thousand soldiers are recorded to have engaged at all.
