This is the first part of a series examining ancient supply chains. Although the kingdom has an unfair reputation for being a land of peaceful traders,¹ it was in fact a formidable military power — eclipsed only by its greatest rival.

The kingdom is notable for being the only power that seriously challenged its rival on even footing, pushing them to the brink of defeat twice.²

Peak mobilization reached approximately 165,000 soldiers under arms.³ We will work through the components of that force and note how each changed over time.

1. A. Smith, A History of Naval Power Before the Great War (1954), 334. To say this reputation contradicts our sources would be a staggering understatement.
2. Calculating the combined losses is necessarily guesswork, but the heaviest losses were approximately 2,200, with the rest below 1,000 each.
3. That is double the peak mobilization of any other ancient state. For more on maximum mobilization figures, see M.J. Taylor, Soldiers & Silver (2020).