infantry in the centre, the elephants in front, and light-armed
troops occupying the intervals between these animals.
Eumenes com- Eumenes, with the élite of the cavalry, placed himself in the
engagement, left wing, opposite to his adversary, having sixty elephants,
r i g M w i n g ! forming an oval, in his front, here also with light troops filling
up the intervals. Philip, the satrap of Parthia, commanded
the right wing, and had orders to retreat rather than risk its
safety by a general engagement. The whole force amounted
to 114 elephants, 36,700 infantry, and 6,050 cavalry, all
animated with the best spirit.
The battle, which commenced with the elephants and cavalry,
terminated, after a lengthened struggle, with mutual advantages,
the cavalry of Antigonus having defeated its opponents,
while, on the other side, the infantry of Eumenes was victorious.
But the families of the Argyraspides having been taken, these
troops sacrificed their honour to recover their wives and childen ;
for on a hint from Antigonus that such an exchange would be
acceptable, the Macedonians delivered up their general.
Eumenes is The talented and upright Eumenes, being now for the second
put to death. 1 p0M[er, Antigonus, without hesitation, caused him to
be put to death ; and having gone through the form of honouring
his remains with the public rite of burning, he completed the
mockery by sending the ashes in a funereal urn to his relatives.
Antigonus Antigonus now occupied winter quarters between the Median
difihreSthe Ecbatana and Bhages, and took advantage of this interval of
goTernments. repose to confirm those governors who were too powerful to be
dispossessed, removing others who were inimical to his interests.
Amongst the latter were Pithon, who was tried and executed,
and Peucestas, the satrap of Persia. Having personally superseded
the latter, he assumed the title of king of the country,.
' and sovereign of all Asia: he likewise confirmed Oxyartes,
Evitus, and others, in their governments ; after which he pro-
Fifteen thou- ceeded towards Susa, where he 'found the celebrated golden
sand talents vine, and other treasures valued at 15,000 talents.1
ta e n a t. usa. p)uring this period the flames of war continued to rage in
Europe, chiefly in the territories governed by Cassander, by
whom Olympias had been invested in Pydna since the murder of
1 Diod. Sic , lib. X IX ., cap. xv.