Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s31: 19. Arms
Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s31
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19. Arms
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Arrian give a fairly detailed account of the arms and outfit of the Indian soldiers, based on the authority of Nearchus²; "The foot soldiers carry a bow made of equal length with the man who bears it. This they rest upon the ground, and pressing against it with their left foot, thus discharge the arrow, having drawn the string far backwards far the shaft they use is little short of being three yards long, and there is nothing which can resist an Indian archer's shot,—neither shield nor breast-plate, nor any stronger defence if such there be. In their left hand they carry bucklers made of undressed ox-hide, which are not so broad as those who carry them, but are about as long. Some are equipped with javelins instead of bows, but all wear a sword, which is broad in the blade, but not longer than three cubits ; and this, when they engage in close fight (which they do with reluctance), they wield with both hands, to fetch down a lustier blow. The horsemen are equipped with two lances like the lances called *saunia*, and with a shorter buckler than that carried by the foot-soldiers. But they do not put saddles on their horses, nor do they curb them with bits like the bits in use among the Greeks or the Kelts, but they fit on round the extremity of the horse's mouth a circular piece of stitched raw hide studded with pricks of iron or brass pointing inwards, but not very sharp; if a man is rich he uses pricks made of ivory. Within the horse's mouth is put an iron prong like a skewer to which the reins are attached. When the rider, then, pulls the reins, the prong controls the horse, and the pricks which are attached to this prong goad the mouth, so that it cannot but obey the reins.'
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² Arrian, *Indika*, XVI (pp. 220-1): cf. Strabo, XV, 1, 66 (pp. 72-73), much briefer.
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The chariot and the elephant played an important part in Indian warfare. The chariot was drawn by four horses and carried six men—one archer and shield bearer on each side besides two charioteers who were also men-at-arms; when the fighting was at close quarters, they dropped the reins and took part in the combat¹. Aelian says, however, that the chariot carried only two men beside the charioteer; this may have reference to chariots of smaller size. The same writer says that each elephant carried three archers besides the driver². According to Curtius, an image of Hercules was borne in front of the line of the Paurava's infantry in the battle of Jhelum, and this acted as the strongest of all incentives to make the soldiers fight well³.
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¹ Curtius, viii, 14, (*Invasion*, p. 207).
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² Meg. Frag. XXXV, p. 90.
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³ Curtius, *Ibid* (p. 208).