ARMIES, ANCIENT—Egyptians.—The most extraordinary conqueror among the Egyptians, Sesostris, or Rhamses, lived 16 centuries before the Christian era; and although the evidence for his deeds of valor is very questionable, there is reason to believe that the organization of his A. can be pretty accurately traced. His father, Amenophis, laid the foundation for the military glory of Sesostris. When the latter was born, Amenophis caused all the male children who were born on the same day as his son to be set apart as a special body, to be reared for a military life; they were taught everything that could strengthen their bodies, increase their courage, and develop their skill as combatants and leaders; and were to consider themselves bound as the chosen dependents or companions of the young prince. In due time Sesostris became king of Egypt; and then lie formed a sort of militia, distributed as military colonists, each soldier having a portion of land to maintain himself and his family. When this militia had been drilled to military efficiency, Sesostris headed them as an army for military conquest in Asia, and placed the chosen band above mentioned as officers over the different sections of the army.
the great days of the Persian empire, the flower of the army consisted of cavalry who were distinguished for their bravery and impetuosity of attack. The infantry were little better than an armed mob. The war-chariots, too, though calculated to strike terror when dashing into hostile ranks, were available only on level,ground. As to the numbers of men composing the great Persian A., the statements are too wild to be trustworthy. Allowing for all exaggeration. however. it is certain that the Persian A. were very large. When Darius was opposed to Alexander the Great, his army was set down at various numbers—from 750,000 to 1,000,000 men. The king was in the center, surrounded by his courtiers and body-guard; the Persians and Susians were on the left; the Syrians and Assyrians on the right. The foot-soldiers, forming the bulk of the army. and armed with pikes, axes, and maces, were formed in deep squares or masses; the horsemen were in the intervals between the squares, and on the right and left flanks; and the chariots and elephants in front.
Lacethemonians.—The Greeks introduced many important changes in A., both in the organization and in the maneuvers. Every man, in the earlier ages of the country at least, was more or less a soldier, inured to a hard life, taught to bear anus, and expected to fight when called upon. The leading men in each state paid attention to organization and tactics in a way never before seen. It was not standing A., but a sort of national militia, that gained Marathon, Platua, and Mycale. So far as concerned the arrange ment of A., the Lacedannonians invented the phalanx (q.v.), a particular mode of grouping foot soldiers. This phalanx consisted of eight ranks, one behind another; the front and rear ranks being composed of picked men, and the intermediate ranks of less tried soldiers. The number of men in each rank depended on the available resources of the commander. These men were mostly armed with spears, short swords, and shields.
Athenians.—The Athenians made a greater number of distinctions than the Lacedte monians in the different kinds of troops forming their A. They had heavy infantry.
constituting the men for the phalanx, and armed with spears, daggers, corselets, and shields; light infantry, employed in skirmishes and in covering the phalanx, and armed with light javelins and shields; a sort of irregular infantry, who, with javelins, bows and arrows, and slings, harassed the enemy in march, and performed other services analo• gous in some degree to those of sharpshooters in a modern army. It is recorded that Miltiades, the Athenian hero at Marathon, invented the " double-quick march," to increase the momentum of a phalanx when rushing on the enemy.
iliteeclonians.—Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the great, having the sagas ity to see that he could not vanquish his neighbors so long as he adopted the same for mation and tactics as themselves, set about inventing something new. He resolved to have a standing army instead of a militia; to have at command a set of men whose trade was fighting, instead of citizens who were traders and soldiers by turn. As a further change, lie made the phalanx deeper and more massive than it had been among the Lace doemonians. He brought into use the Macedonian pike, a formidable weapon 24 ft. in length. With a phalanx sixteen ranks in depth, four rows of men could present the points of their long pikes protruding in front of the frout-rank, forming a bristling array of steel terrible to encounter. Besides these heavy infantry, there were light troops marshaled into smaller bodies for more active maneuvers. Philip organized three kinds of cavalry—heavy, armed with pikes, and defended by cuirasses of iron-mail; light, armed with lances; and irregular.
Thebans.—This nation- introduced the army-formation of columns, much deeper than broad, or having more men in file than in rank. A new kind of tactics was introduced in accordance with this formation; the movement being intended to pierce the enemy's line at some one point, and throw them into confusion.
Romans.—These able warriors initiated changes in army matters, which had a wide spread influence on the nations of the civilized world. About the period 200 every Roman, from the age of 17 to 4th, was liable to be called upon to serve as a soldier; the younger men were preferred; but all were available up to the middle-time of life. They went through a very severe drilling and discipline, to fit them alike for marching, fight ing, camping, working, carrying, and other active duties. Every year the senate decreed the formation of legions,, or army corps, deputing this duty to the consul or prietor. .51agistmtes sent up the names of eligible men, and tribunes selected a certain number from this list. See LEGION, The Roman legion, in its best days, had many excellent military qualities—great facility of movement: a power of preserving order of battle unimpaired; a quick rallying-power when forced to give way ; a readiness to adapt itself to varying circumstances on the field of battle; a formidable impetuosity in attack; and a power of fighting the enemy even while retreating. The heavy infantry were armed with javelins, heavy darts, pikes, and swords; the lighter troops with bows and arrows, slings, and light javelins; while the defensive armor comprised shields, cuirasses, hel mets, and greaves.
Those ancient nations which had no distinctive features in their A., need not be 'neuticed here.