Greeks Ascend with Cyrus to Get the Heights

What occurred on the ascent up until the battle; what occurred after the battle, under the treaty made by the King and the Greeks who had ascended with Cyrus; and what warring there was against the Greeks when the King and Tissaphernes violated the treaty, with the Persian army following along after them, has been made clear in the foregoing account.

When they arrived where the Tigris River was in every way impassable on account of its depth and great breadth, and there was no way alongside it, but the Carduchian mountains hung sheer above the river, the soldiers thought it best that they go through the mountains. For they heard from captives that if they passed through the Carduchian mountains, they would cross over the sources of the Tigris River in Armenia, if they wished, and if they did not wish, they could go around them. It was said also that the sources of the Euphrates were not far from the Tigris, and so it is. They made their invasion of the Carduchians as follows, trying at once to escape notice and, at the same time, to get the jump on their enemies in taking the heights.

When it was about the time of the last watch, and there was just enough night left to cross over the plain in the dark, they then made an announcement to get one another up and began to march; and they arrived at the mountain at daybreak. At this point Cheirisophus led the army, taking the troops he kept with himself and all the light-armed troops, and Xenophon followed with the rearguard of hoplites, with no light-armed troops, for there seemed to be no danger of anyone following them from the rear while they were marching uphill. And Cheirisophus ascended the summit before any of the enemy were aware of it. Then he led on more slowly, and as each part of the army went over the peak, it followed him down to the villages in the hollows and nooks of the mountains. At this point the Carduchians left their houses and fled with their wives and children to the mountains. As for provisions, there were many to take, and the houses were supplied with numerous bronze utensils; of the latter the Greeks took away nothing, nor did they pursue the people, sparing them on the chance that the Carduchians might somehow be willing for them to pass through their country as through a friendly one, since they too were enemies of the King. They did take the provisions, however, each taking whatever he chanced upon, for necessity pressed them. The Carduchians would neither listen when they called nor do any other such friendly thing.

When the last of the Greeks were descending into the villages from the summit, when it was already dark (for since the road was narrow, their ascent and descent into the villages took all day), then some of the Carduchians gathered together and att acked the ones at the end. They killed and wounded some with stones and arrows, even though there were few att ackers, for the Greek army had fallen upon them unexpectedly. If more had then gathered together, however, much of the army would have risked being destroyed. And for that night they bivouacked like this in the villages, while the Carduchians kept burning many fi res in a circle on the mountains and kept watching each other.

The Occident and the Orient Meet: Greeks and Persian Perspective