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The Lost Persian Army of Cambyses II
50,000 Men Swallowed by the Desert
One of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world is the disappearance of the Persian army of Cambyses II around 524 BCE. According to historical accounts, the army—numbering 50,000 men—was sent on a mission by Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus the Great, to destroy the Oracle of Amun in the Siwa Oasis of Egypt. However, the entire force mysteriously vanished in the vast desert, never reaching its destination.
The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484–425 BCE) provides the earliest recorded version of this event. He wrote that the Persian army marched out from Thebes (modern-day Luxor) into the vast Western Desert. After several days of travel, they reached an open stretch of sand when suddenly, a massive sandstorm erupted. Herodotus claimed that the storm was so powerful it completely buried all 50,000 soldiers, leaving no survivors.
For centuries, scholars and archaeologists have debated whether the story is fact or fiction. Some dismissed it as an exaggeration or mythical storytelling, while others believed that a large Persian force could not have simply disappeared without a trace. Several theories have emerged:
Buried by a Sandstorm – Some scholars believe that a cataclysmic sandstorm, a known phenomenon in the Sahara, could have engulfed the army. If the storm lasted long enough, it could have buried the soldiers under meters of sand, preserving their remains.
Defeated in Battle – An alternative theory suggests that the army may have been ambushed and slaughtered by an enemy force, such as Egyptian rebels or local desert tribes. The story of the sandstorm may have been created as propaganda to explain the army's disappearance.
Lost Due to Navigation Errors – The Western Desert of Egypt is vast and treacherous, with little access to water. If the army had become disoriented and lost its way, it could have perished from dehydration and starvation.
In 2009, archaeologists working near Siwa discovered human bones, Persian-style weapons, and arrowheads buried beneath the sand. This discovery lent credibility to the idea that Cambyses’ army may have perished in the desert. Some researchers believe that a combination of environmental disasters and military defeat led to its downfall.
Despite new findings, the true fate of the lost Persian army remains a mystery. Whether buried beneath the dunes, massacred in an ambush, or lost due to miscalculation, the disappearance of 50,000 soldiers without a trace continues to be one of the most intriguing and haunting enigmas of the ancient world.
Έχεις καμιά ιδέα μιας και ασχολείσαι με την ιστορία;
There are decades where you fuck around and days where you find out