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

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Ἄριοι. It is rather difficult to separate these ‘Arians,’ with their Medo-Bactrian equipment, from the Arian-Medes of c. 62, and no less from the Ἄρειοι of 3. 93. Ἀρία, or Ἄρεια (Ariana) was a definite province of the eastern portion of the Persian empire, named apparently from a river Ἄρειος (Strabo 515, etc., Arrian 4. 6. 6), with the later capital Alexandria. It must be the inhabitants of this satrapy that are here intended. As Stein remaiks, Ἄριοι is constant in Strabo, Ἄρειοι in Arrian.

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Σισάμνης ὁ Ὑδάρνεος. Of the son nothing more is known. An Hydarnes, son of Hydarnes, figures largely in the record, cp. c. 83 infra, and Sisamnes was perhaps his brother. Another Sisamnes is mentioned, 5. 25.

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Πάρθοι κτλ. This passage might suggest that we have less an army list than an ethnological catalogue at the base of Hdt.'s numeration. It is even like the catalogue of a museum, for its ‘motive’ is neither (a) the political organisation of the empire, nor (b) the military organization of the commands, but apparently (c) the morphological similarity or differences of equipment.

‘Parthians, Chorasmians, Sogdians, Arians,’ are formed into one νομός in 3. 93. On the Achaimenid inscription, Parthia appears as a distinct province (satrapy), and likewise Sogdiana, Chorasmia, and Gandaria, each as separate provinces. If Parthians and Chorasmians were united under one command, the inference might be that these provinces were each weakly represented in the army.

The form Πάρθοι is common to Hdt. and Hekataios (Frag. 173, etc) and others. Πάρθιοι was used by Ktesias (Pcrs. 8), Παρθυαῖοι in Diod. Sic. (17. 105. 7 Παρθυαία), Strabo (514), Arrian Anab. (3. 11. 4, etc.). Of all the Iranian peoples named in this catalogue they had, so to speak, the greatest future before them.

Χοράσμιοι: located by the geographers on the Oxus. The name was known to Hekataios: Steph. B. s. voc. Χορασμίη: πόλις (sic) πρὸς ἕω Πάρθων. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίας περιηγήσει ... αὐτοὶ δὲ Χοράσμιοι ὡς αὐτός φησι: Πάρθων πρὸς ἤλιον ἀνίσχοντα Χοράσμιοι οἰκοῦσι. καὶ Ἡρόδοτος τρίτη κτλ. The Chorasmians were ‘pure Arians,’ and followers of the ‘Zend-religion’ until overwhelmed by Huns and Turks (Tomaschek ap. PaulyWissowa iii. 2407). Alexander made friends with them (Arrian, Anab. 4. 15. 4).

Σόγδοι. Sogdiana, between the Oxus and Jaxartes, a district well known to the geographers of post-Alexandrian times (Strabo, Arrian, Pliny). The name still lives in that of the province ‘Soghd.’ Strabo uses the form Σόγδιοι, Σογδιανοί (e.g. 517). Several important towns existed in Sogdiana when Alexander visited it. Marakanda=Samarkand, Arrian, Anab. 3. 30. 6; Gaza and six other towns, 4. 2. 2: Kyropolis, ibid.; Nautaka, 3. 28. 9, etc.

Γανδάριοι. Steph. Byz. sub v. Γάνδαραι: Ἰνδῶν ἔθνος. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. λέγονται δὲ Γανδάριοι παρ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ Γανδαρικὴ ἡ χώρα. Strabo, 697, has Γανδαρῖτις. It is natural to connect the name with Candahar.

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Δαδίκαι: similarly coupled with Γανδάριοι in 3. 91. Steph. B. quotes only this passage for the name. Did it not stand in his Hekataios? Cooley connected Δαδίκ with Tadjek, and v. Hammer Tadjek with Deutsch, a fearsome etymologitis.

τὴν αὐτὴν σκευήν: the prevalence of the Bactrian type is noticeable: cp Appendix II. § 5.

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Ἀρτάβαζος ὁ Φαρνάκεος: according to 8. 126 ff., 9. 41, 66, 89 etc. among the most eminent of the Persian commanders, and the rival of Mardonios. He was subsequently satrap of Daskyleion, and negotiated with Pausanias, the victor of Plataia, Thue. 1. 129. He may have been commander of ‘Parthians and Chorasmians’ before his promotion in 480 B.C. The patronymic is added in all the references above given, not because Pharnakes, but because his son, was so illustrious.

Ἀζάνης ὁ Ἀρταίου may have been a brother of Artachaies (c. 22 supra): the father's name is noticeable; cp. c. 61 supra.

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Ἀρτύφιος ὁ Ἀρταβάνου, as a son of Artabanos, is the king's cousin in the first degree.