noon
The Caspian washed its eastern face ; on the other three sides a high wall , composed of earth roughly faced with stones , ran along at the edge of the plateau ; above it , at distances of fifty yards apart , rose towers . The entire circuit of the walls was about three miles . Since its foundation by the grandfather of the late king the town had never been taken , although several times besieged , and the Rebu had strong hopes that here , when the chariots of the Egyptians were no longer to be feared , they could oppose a successful resistance to all the efforts of the enemy . At noon the Egyptian army was seen advancing , and , confident as the defenders of the city felt , they could not resist a feeling of apprehension at the enormous force which was seen upon the plain . The Egyptian army was over three hundred thousand strong . It moved in regular order according to the arms or nationality of the men . Here were Nubians , Sardinians , Etruscans , Oscans , Dauni , Maxyes , Kahaka , a race from Iberia , and bodies of other mercenaries from every tribe and people with whom the Egyptians had any dealings .