Author’s Note: 1 - 12. The Cosmology of War
From The Observatory
Author’s Note: 1
The following author’s note (starting with a bibliographic source without an introduction or transition characteristic of his writing throughout The Creation of Order) appeared at the end of Chapter 12. Can you help us work its contents into the body of this chapter to be consistent with the rest of The Creation of Order? A new section in Chapter 12 may be created for it to work there.
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Dandamaev on War
[Muhammed A. Dandamaev, A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire (Leiden: 1989).] [economic history of the Achaemenids, Chapter 4: Army, pp. 26–28]Verify CitationA full citation is missing. Can you help us find it based on the details and bracketed note?
“The Persian nobility usually appeared for a campaign luxuriantly dressed up for the occasion and accompanied by vehicles with concubines and servants.”Citation NeededIs this quotation from Dandamaev or from Theopompus or someone else?
Theopompus described Artaxerxes III invading Egypt (FHG I,Verify CitationWhat does this stand for? fragments 125, 263). He described the ritualistic dimension of Persian military practices, reflecting the solarized religion of Ahura-Mazda:
“According to Curtius Rufus (III.3 828),Specify CitationShould this be 8–28 or 828? And should it have a label (line, page, etc.)?Verify CitationCan someone please verify this source and help us add a full source link/citation? the Persians had a custom of not setting out on a campaign prior to the rising of the sun. The signal to sally forth was given by a trumpet from the royal tent. In addition, they raised over the tent a shining image of the sun made out of glass. They carried the eternal sacred flame in front of the troops on silver altars, behind which travelledSpelling of TermWas this spelled “travelled” or “traveled” in the original? Can someone with access to the text help us check the quotation? the magi, who sang ancient hymns. Behind them traveledSpelling of TermWas this spelled “traveled” or “travelled” in the original? Can someone with access to the text help us check the quotation? 365 youths in purple cloaks. Farther on rode a chariot dedicated to Jupiter (Ahura-Mazda), to which were harnessed white horses, and behind this chariot was a horse dedicated to the sun.”Paragraph BreakCan you help us check if this is indeed meant to be a paragraph break in the original source?
“At some distance followed ten more chariots ornamented with gold and silver, and behind them were mounted horsemen from 12 different countries in their tribal arms. Behind them traveledSpelling of TermWas this spelled “traveled” or “travelled” in the original? Can someone with access to the text help us check the quotation? the 10,000 ‘immortals’ with golden necklaces and in cloaks and tunics embroidered with gold and decorated with precious stones.”
“Then cameVerify Citation“came” was “come” in the original version of The Creation of Order; can someone with access to the source text check the quotation? 15,000 so-called relatives of the king (an honorary title), well-dressed. Then, royal spearmen, and the king himself in a chariot decorated with gold and silver images of the gods, its connecting rod glittering with with precious stones. An eagle with spread wings (statue) was between two golden statues of gods. The king wore a purple tunic with a white belt, his cloak embroidered with gold, in a headdress with violet lace with white stripes. He had 200 of his attending magnates, and behind them came 10,000 spearmen, followed by another 30,000 foot soldiers.”Verify CitationIt was unclear if this was a quotation or the author’s words (we added the open-quotation mark before “Then came”); for now we left it all as a quotation.Paragraph BreakCan you help us check if this is indeed meant to be a paragraph break in the original source?
“Finally, wives and children of the king drew up the rear, with eunuchs, 360 royal concubines, and also the wives of relatives and retainers of the kings.”Verify CitationIt was unclear if this was a quotation or the author’s words (we added the open-quotation mark before “Then came”); for now we left it all as a quotation.
The numbers 360 (royal concubines) and 365 (young men in purple cloaks) are solar calendrical numbers. The overall effect was to make the military attack not all that much different from a sacred celebration replete with many shared cosmological reference points. (The Archaic Cosmology of Cities: Building the Kosmos on Earth has discussed Joshua’s preparations to attack Jericho with regard to storming its walls.)
