Book 1 · Chapter 7

Cyrus marched through Babylonia, covering about twelve parasangs in three stages. Around midnight on the third stage, he reviewed the Greek and Asian troops in the plain, expecting the king would arrive the next day to fight.

He told Clearchus to lead the right wing, and Menon, from Thessaly, to lead the left. Cyrus himself would organize his own forces. After the review, deserters from the king arrived with news about his army as daybreak approached.

Cyrus then gathered the Greek generals and captains for a war council to plan the battle. He also gave them a speech: Men of Hellas, he said, I’m not fighting my battles because I’m short on soldiers. I believe you’re stronger and better than many other troops. That's why I chose you.

Prove you're worthy of the freedom you have - a freedom I envy. Freedom is worth more than anything I own, multiplied many times over. Let me tell you what you’re facing: Their numbers are huge, and they make a lot of noise.

But if you can withstand those two things, I'm embarrassed to think how weak the people in this land really are. You are men, and you must be brave. It’s a given. If you want to go home, I promise to send you back so your friends will be jealous.

"And I’m betting many of you will accept what I’m offering here instead of what you left behind. Gaulites, a Samian exile and a close friend of Cyrus, spoke up: "Cyrus, some people say you’re making big promises now because you’re in a tough spot. But if things go well for you, will you remember?"

"People shook their heads, adding that even if he remembered and wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to keep all his promises. Cyrus replied: "You forget that my father’s empire stretches south to a scorching desert where people can't live, and north to a frozen wasteland.

But everything in between is divided into satrapies controlled by my brother’s friends. If we win, we’re also giving those territories to our friends.

"My real worry isn’t having enough to give to everyone; it’s not having enough friends to share with, and to each of you Hellenes, I will give a crown of gold. Hearing this, the troops were more excited than ever and spread the good news to the rest.

Both generals and other Hellenes came to Cyrus, demanding to know what they would get if they won. Cyrus satisfied everyone’s expectations and dismissed them. Everyone advised him not to enter the battle himself, but to stay in the rear.

At that point, Clearchus asked him: "Do you really think your brother will fight you, Cyrus?" Cyrus answered: "He won’t give up the prize without a fight - if he’s the son of Darius and Parysatis, and my brother."

Right before the big battle, here’s the breakdown of numbers: The Greeks had ten thousand four hundred heavily armored soldiers and two thousand five hundred archers. The barbarians with Cyrus had a total of one hundred thousand troops. He also had about twenty chariots with scythes.

The enemy’s forces were reported to be one million two hundred thousand strong, with two hundred scythe-chariots, plus six thousand cavalry led by Artagerses. These guys were the king’s personal vanguard.

The royal army was organized by four generals - basically, top commanders - each in charge of three hundred thousand men. Their names were Abrocomas, Tissaphernes, Gobryas, and Arbaces.

(But only about nine hundred thousand actually fought in the battle, along with one hundred and fifty scythe-chariots; because Abrocomas, marching from Phoenicia, arrived five days too late.)

That’s the info Cyrus got from deserters from the king’s army before the battle, and it was confirmed by prisoners after the fighting. From there, Cyrus moved forward one stage - three parasangs - with all his troops, both Greek and barbarian, ready for battle.

He expected the king to attack that day. In the middle of the march, they reached a huge, deep ditch, thirty feet wide and eighteen feet deep. The ditch stretched inland across the plain, twelve parasangs to the wall of Media.

(There were canals there, flowing from the Tigris River; four of them, each a hundred feet wide and very deep, with boats carrying grain. They emptied into the Euphrates, spaced about a parasang apart, and had bridges crossing them.)

Between the Euphrates and the ditch was a really narrow passage, just twenty feet wide. The king had built the ditch when he heard Cyrus was coming, as a way to defend against an attack. Cyrus and his army passed through this narrow passage and found themselves safe inside the trench.

So, there was no battle with the king that day, but there were lots of clear signs of horses and soldiers retreating. Cyrus then called in Silanus, his Ambraciot soothsayer, and gave him three thousand darics.

Eleven days earlier, during a sacrifice, the soothsayer had told him the king wouldn’t fight within ten days. Cyrus had replied, "Well, if he doesn't fight within that time, he won't fight at all. And if your prediction is right, I’ll give you ten talents."

Now that the ten days had passed, he gave him the money. Since the king hadn’t stopped Cyrus’s army from passing through the trench, Cyrus and everyone else figured he’d given up on offering battle. So, the next day, Cyrus moved forward with less caution.

On the third day, he was leading the march, sitting in his carriage with just a small group of soldiers in front of him. The rest of the army was moving along without much order - the soldiers had left their heavy armor to be carried in wagons or on the backs of animals.