Hoplite question

[zooeyglass]

Cyrus, I did in fact give you the citation: 5.71.1, i.e. book 5 chapter 71. Here is the original.

ξυνιόντων δ᾽ ἔτι Ἆγις ὁ βασιλεὺς τοιόνδε ἐβουλεύσατο δρᾶσαι. τὰ στρατόπεδα ποιεῖ μὲν καὶ ἅπαντα τοῦτο: ἐπὶ τὰ δεξιὰ κέρατα αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς ξυνόδοις μᾶλλον ἐξωθεῖται, καὶ περιίσχουσι κατὰ τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων εὐώνυμον ἀμφότεροι τῷ δεξιῷ, διὰ τὸ φοβουμένους προσστέλλειν τὰ γυμνὰ ἕκαστον ὡς μάλιστα τῇ τοῦ ἐν δεξιᾷ παρατεταγμένου ἀσπίδι καὶ νομίζειν τὴν πυκνότητα τῆς ξυγκλῄσεως εὐσκεπαστότατον εἶναι: καὶ ἡγεῖται μὲν τῆς αἰτίας ταύτης ὁ πρωτοστάτης τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρως, προθυμούμενος ἐξαλλάσσειν αἰεὶ τῶν ἐναντίων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γύμνωσιν, ἕπονται δὲ διὰ τὸν αὐτὸν φόβον καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι.

My comment on the passages from the Anabasis would be that the Greek formations are dense compared to the Persian forces. This would be true whether you go along with Hanson or van Wees on the density of hoplite formations.

Again, the multiplicity of interpretations of these texts only means that certainty is impossible. To me, that indicates an agnostic attitude is probably best. Rather than say that the EB team committed a huge error, one might say that they have interpreted the data in a way with which you were unfamiliar.

hear, hear! thank you for posting the greek also, kind of you. i liked your explanation and will read a little more around it.