Reginald Walter Macan, Herodotus, The Seventh, Eighth, & Ninth Books with Introduction and Commentary

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στρατευόμενα, ‘on this occasion,’ or ‘as a general rule’? It might be either, and Hdt. has perhaps converted the ideal or potential muster into the actual army of Xerxes at Doriskos.

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τὸν πεζόν seems here to exclude the cavalry, which is separately enumerated, cc. 84 ff.

ἦρχον μέν. Hdt. draws a clear distinction between (a) the ἄρχοντες, twenty-nine in number, just enumerated, and two other categories of officers; (b） Myriarchs, Chiliarchs, Hekatontarchs, Dekarchs; and (c) the Strategi, or Generals, six in number. He also seems to distinguish these three classes of (Persian) officers from the native commanders. For reasons fully set forth in Appendix II. § 5 I believe that Hdt. has here fallen into an error. The twenty-nine ἄρχοντες just enumerated are ‘Myriarchs,’ i.e. commanders of nominal regiments of 10,000 men, which together with the 10,000 under Hydarnes imply a nominal force of 300,000. This force is divided into three columns of 100,000 men, each under two ‘Strategi’ (each commanding 50,000). The Chiliarchs, Hekatontarchs, and Dekarchs are all presumably native to the countries, of which they are leading the contingents. This conception underlies the statement next annotated.

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τελέων δὲ καὶ ἐθνέων ἦσαν ἄλλοι <οἱ> σημάντορες . The τέλος may be taken to be the body of 10,000 men; the ἔθνη are the ethnic units comprised in it, under their own native commanders, Chiliarchs, Centurions or Hekatontarchs, and Dekarchs. The Chiliads, etc., may have been in many cases merely of nominal strength, and the other subdivisions likewise.

There is a curiously rhythmical ring about the words: ἐθνέων καὶ τελέων ἄλλοι σημάντορες ἦσαν. The word σημάντωρ is poetical: Il. 4. 431. Had Hdt. poetic sources in part for his army-list? That might account for the shortcoming of his phrase. He says: ‘Of battalions and of nations there were other commanders.’ He must have meant: the commanders of τέλεα were not the same as the commanders of έθνεα. I have ventured to read ἄλλοι <οἱ>.