02-12-2012, 04:31 AM
Guys let's not forget logistics. No matter what an ancient author says, there is no way some army could defy the simple need for food amd water. Just to give an idea, the average army had at least an equal sized supply train and camp foower trail. Which means 300 thousand would mean 600 thousand individuals. The average individual drinks 2.5-3 liters of water a day, but in southern Europe/Middle east it's likely more. Let's pick 3. So that gives us a whopping 1.8 million liters of water every day. And that's just water. Food - even more. Then include pack animals as well. Factor in the wages of the troops.... Overall, 300 thousand is a highly unrealistic figure to field without modern technology - no matter if it's in the heartlands or not. Not to mention 40 thousand feudal cavalry almost doubling the need for all the horses for each rider, his slaves and personal pack animals - which is irrelevant because most cavalry estates had been located in Cappadocia, Syria and Lydia, which were firmly in Alexander's hands by 330. Even the highest modern estimates don't go over 94 thousand troops at Gaugamela, and that's based on speculation rather than hsrd logistics.
Let alone 1207 triremes - 241'400 sailors, who need supplying, at sea, with little access to resources further than a few kilometers inland. Not to mention the ridiculous expense of building and maintaining such a gargantuan fleet.
p.s. In the case of Persians, their armies couldn't have been too big on principle, because they were composed of a body of Iranian citizens issued land for service, in an early quasi-feudal sustem, supported by auxiliaries (to a certainly exaggerated extent - since the only troops the Greeks engaged were Iranic, during the campaign of 480).
Let alone 1207 triremes - 241'400 sailors, who need supplying, at sea, with little access to resources further than a few kilometers inland. Not to mention the ridiculous expense of building and maintaining such a gargantuan fleet.
p.s. In the case of Persians, their armies couldn't have been too big on principle, because they were composed of a body of Iranian citizens issued land for service, in an early quasi-feudal sustem, supported by auxiliaries (to a certainly exaggerated extent - since the only troops the Greeks engaged were Iranic, during the campaign of 480).
