37.41
The
king commanded the right in person, the left he placed in charge of his son
Seleucus and his nephew Antipater. The centre was entrusted to three
commanders, Minnio, Zeuxis and Philip; the latter was the master of the
elephants. The morning haze, which as the day advanced lifted into clouds,
obscured the atmosphere, and then a drizzling rain coming with the south
wind wetted everything. This did not inconvenience the Romans much, but it
was a serious disadvantage to the king's troops. As the Roman line was of
only moderate length, the indistinctness of the light did not obstruct the view
over the whole of it, and as it consisted almost entirely of heavy-armed
troops, the fine rain had no effect on their weapons which were swords and
javelins. The king's line, on the other hand, was of such an enormous length
that it was impossible to see the wings from the centre, let alone the fact that
the extremes of the line were out of sight of each other, and the wetting mist
relaxed their bows and slings and the thongs of their missile spears.
Antiochus trusted to his scythe chariots to throw the enemy ranks into utter
confusion, but they only turned the danger against their own side. These
chariots were armed in the following manner: On either side of the pole
where the yoke-bar was fastened spikes were fixed which projected forward
like horns, ten cubits long, so as to pierce anything that came in their way,
and at each end of the yoke-bar two scythes projected, one on a level with
the bar so as to cut off sideways anything it came against, the other turned
towards the ground to catch those lying down or trying to get under it.
Similarly two scythes pointing in opposite directions to each end of the axis
of the wheels.
The chariots thus armed were stationed, as I have already said, in
front of the line for had they been in the rear or the centre they must have
been driven through their own men. When he saw this, Eumenes, who was
quite familiar with their mode of fighting, and knew how much their
assistance would be worth when once the horses were terrified, ordered the
Cretan archers, the slingers and javelin men, in conjunction with some troops
of cavalry, to run forward, not in close order but as loosely as possible, and
discharge their missiles simultaneously from every side. What with the
wounds inflicted by the missiles and the wild shouts of the assailants, this
tempestuous onslaught so scared the horses that they started to gallop wildly
about the field as though without bit or bridle. The light infantry and slingers
and the active Cretans easily avoided them when they dashed towards them,
and the cavalry increased the confusion and panic by affrighting the horses
and even the camels, and to this was added the shouts of those who had not
gone into action. The chariots were driven off the field, and now that this
silly show was got rid of the signal was given, and both sides closed in a
regular battle.
