Polymnia   

slaves.
Thus did the Persians succeed in taking two of the vessels. The
third, a trireme commanded by Phormus of Athens, took to flight and
ran aground at the mouth of the river Peneus. The barbarians got
possession of the bark but not of the men. For the Athenians had no
sooner run their vessel aground than they leapt out, and made their
way through Thessaly back to Athens.
When the Greeks stationed at Artemisium learnt what had happened
by fire-signals from Sciathus, so terrified were they, that,
quitting their anchorage-ground at Artemisium, and leaving scouts to
watch the foe on the highlands of Euboea, they removed to Chalcis,
intending to guard the Euripus.
Meantime three of the ten vessels sent forward by the barbarians
advanced as far as the sunken rock between Sciathus and Magnesia,
which is called "The Ant," and there set up a stone pillar which
they had brought with them for that purpose. After this, their
course being now clear, the barbarians set sail with all their ships
from Therma, eleven days from the time that the king quitted the town.
The rock, which lay directly in their course, had been made known to
them by Pammon of Scyros. A day's voyage without a stop brought them
to Sepias in Magnesia, and to the strip of coast which lies between
the town of Casthanaea and the promontory of Sepias.
As far as this point then, and on land, as far as Thermopylae, the
armament of Xerxes had been free from mischance; and the numbers
were still, according to my reckoning, of the following amount.
First there was the ancient complement of the twelve hundred and seven
vessels which came with the king from Asia- the contingents of the
nations severally- amounting, if we allow to each ship a crew of two
hundred men, to 241,400- Each of these vessels had on board, besides
native soldiers, thirty fighting men, who were either Persians, Medes,
or Sacans; which gives an addition of 36,210. To these two numbers I
shall further add the crews of the penteconters; which may be
reckoned, one with another, at fourscore men each. Of such vessels
there were (as I said before) three thousand; and the men on board
them accordingly would be 240,000. This was the sea force brought by
the king from Asia; and it amounted in all to 517,610 men. The
number of the foot soldiers was 1,700,000; that of the horsemen
80,000; to which must be added the Arabs who rode on camels, and the
Libyans who fought in chariots, whom I reckon at 20,000. The whole
number, therefore, of the land and sea forces added together amounts
to 2,317,610 men. Such was the force brought from Asia, without
including the camp followers, or taking any account of the
provision- ships and the men whom they had on board.
To the amount thus reached we have still to add the forces
gathered in Europe, concerning which I can only speak from conjecture.
The Greeks dwelling in Thrace, and in the islands off the coast of
Thrace, furnished to the fleet one hundred and twenty ships; the crews
of which would amount to 24,000 men. Besides these, footmen were
furnished by the Thracians, the Paeonians, the Eordians, the
Bottiaeans, by the Chalcidean tribes, by the Brygians, the Pierians,
the Macedonians, the Perrhaebians the Enianians, the Dolopians, the
Magnesians, the Achaeans and by all the dwellers upon the Thracian
sea-board; and the forces of these nations amounted, I believe, to
three hundred thousand men. These numbers, added to those of the force
which came out of Asia, make the sum of the fighting men 2,641,610.
Such then being the number of the fighting men, it is my belief
that the attendants who followed the camp, together with the crews
of the corn-barks, and of the other craft accompanying the army,
made up an amount rather above than below that of the fighting men.
However I will not reckon them as either fewer or more, but take
them at an equal number. We have therefore to add to the sum already
reached an exactly equal amount. This will give 5,283,220 as the whole
number of men brought by Xerxes, the son of Darius, as far as Sepias
and Thermopylae.