Posted on 06/21/2014 7:05:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Persian warriors, a detail from the frieze in Darius' palace in Susa. Pergamon Museum / Vorderasiatisches Museum, Germany. Image credit: Mohammed Shamma / CC BY 2.0.
As good a theory as any.
Note: remains of small groups of Persian soldiers have indeed turned up, and none of them AFAIK show any sign of death in combat. Also note that the archaeologist claims that it’s not possible to die in a sandstorm, a claim that is ridiculous on its face. It’s unlikely that an entire 50,000 man army will be found in formation buried in the desert — it’s perfectly reasonable to figure that zero visibility led to groups of various sizes going off in various directions. Also, given the details in Herodotus’ account — and we know that he was basically always reliable as a reteller of what he hear or a when he described what he saw — suggests that a small number of survivors managed to return to make report, and that’s not surprising at all.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cambyses/index
Mystery...
The Butler usually did it. Or Colonel Mustard in the Den with a lamp.
Having read the account of Alexander’s troop march home from the Indus through southern Persia, I can totally believe that.
video from 2009:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ENizFYf96Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzsi1LFZV4w&feature=player_embedded
They're all black and curly hair.
from the grouch:
http://rogueclassicism.com/2009/11/13/cambyses-lost-army-found-dont-eat-that-elmer/
Sandstorm? If Obama were there he would have blamed a youtube video.
Yes indeed.
The idea that the Persians would undertake a march through a pretty daunting desert would also not be surprising, given the conditions in much of their empire in Asia.
:’)
Thanks. The Egyptians used re-curved bows as well.
“the oldest son of Cyrus the Great, sent his army to destroy the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis. 50,000 warriors entered the Egypts western desert” under the command of general Gorges Bushtes. And the rest is, as we say, history according to Democritus.
That’s my shower wall!
Just remember Desert One in the Iranian desert and it is clear what a sandstorm can do even to modern armies.
Hmm, under George Bush?
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