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

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ἱππεύει δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνεα. Stein takes ταῦτα = τάδε to refer to the coming list, on the ground that some of the previously-named nations could not furnish cavalry: (which ?): he also notes the stylistic inconsequence of the tenses, and once proposed (cp. App. Crit.) to change ἱππεύει into ἵππευε to harmonise with παρείχετο. A better alternative might be to insert πάντα after ἔθνεα.

The Cavalry-list which follows (cc. 84-86) is somewhat suspicious. Eleven names of nations supplying cavalry are given, but three of these, Arabians (camels), Libyans (chariots), Indians (chariots and κέλητες) may be removed, leaving eight nations to furnish 80,000 cavalry. As 12,000 Persians and 8000 Sagartians may be subtracted, six myriads are left to be supplied by six nations. One of the names of the six is doubtful. If Stem's Πάκτυες be adopted, then the Sagartians are the only folk supplying cavalry who have not already been named and described in the infantry-list. If there were forty-six nations represented in the infantry, it seems unlikely that only eight were represented in the cavalry; and vice versa if the cavalry-list is good, and eight to twelve nations furnished that, were there forty-six supplying infantry? Stein understands ἱππεύει ταῦτα to be introducing an ideal or potential list, reduced in παρείχετο to the actual dimensions on the given occasion. It is likely enough that both infantry- and cavalry-lists are rather ideals of the nations in the Persian empire who might furnish soldiers than an authentic list of the actual contingents furnished in the expedition of 480 B.C.

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Πέρσαι: the number of Persian horse accounted for in c. 55 is 12,000; but cp. notes ad l.

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ἔνιοι: were there any but the officers thus protected? (cp. 9. 22), or was there also a corps d'élite of cavalry?

ἐξεληλαμένα ποιήματα, ‘helmets of wrought bronze and iron.’ ποιήματα, cp. 4. 5.