99 



A HISTORY ^^ CAVALRY. 



[period I. 



Egypt, and was adopted .e Greeks in imitation of 



them. Herodotus ar .^pressly that the Greeks 

 learned to yoke four i . ahreast from the Libyans.^ 



The Thessalians were without doubt the first in Greece 

 to use cavalry, and most probably made use of them 

 long before they were known in Greece proper. The 

 plains of Thessaly were covered with abundant pastur- 

 age, the climate as well as the soil was admirably suited 

 to horses, and in that province they must have been 

 more numerous and vigorous than in most countries. 

 Virgil says that the Lapithse, a people of Thessaly, first 

 mounted on horseback, applied the reins, turned the 

 horse in the ring, and taught the horsemen under arms 

 to spurn the plain.^ 



The Thessalians, being the first to use cavalry, the 

 other nations naturally turned to them to secure troops 

 of that description to aid them in their wars. We find 

 when the Pisistratidse had usurped the government of 

 Athens and banished the Alcmseonidae, that these latter 

 secured the aid of the Lacedaemonians, who sent a large 

 force by sea to attack Athens. The Pisistratidse, hearing 

 of the intended invasion, sent to Thessaly and obtained 

 the assistance of 1,000 cavalry. Eelying mainly upon 

 these troops, the Athenian tyrants cleared all the plains 

 of the Phalereans and made the country practicable for 

 cavalry, and when the Lacedsemonians landed the 

 Thessalian mercenaries were sent against them. They 

 charged upon them vigorously, killed large numbers, 

 including Anchimolius the general, and drove the sur- 

 vivors into their ships, and so ended the first expedi- 

 tion. On the second attempt some time afterwards, the 

 Lacedsemonians were more fortunate and defeated the 

 cavalry, who, discouraged by the loss of some forty men, 

 immediately departed for Thessaly.* After this time we 

 constantly hear of the Thessalian and Thracian cavalry 

 in the wars in Greece, down to the time of Alexander, 

 when they formed some of the finest regiments of 

 cavalrj' in his army. 



Herodotus, iv. 189. 

 ▼. 63, 64. 



^ "Virgil, Georgics, iii. 115. ^ Herodotus, 



1. 



