"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٥‎٩] (٧٣٨/١٢٣)

MILITARY HISTORY
than Arab. Of the local conditions which affect the military
history of Syria attention may be drawn to the importance
of the command of the sea for the defence and capture of
the coast towns, to the numerous cases where lack of water
for men and horses decided the issue of a battle, and to the
frequency with which religious and racial divisions bred
‘ traitors ’ who betrayed otherwise impregnable towns into
the hands of the besiegers.
In all study of ancient history the question of historical
numbers is of fundamental importance. Even in modern
works of repute quite fabulous figures for ancient populations
and armies and battles are frequently given. It is not yet
generally recognized that otherwise excellent sources of
historical information may not supply reliable figures.
Numbers in ancient history rarely rest on actual enumeration.
Some writers choose their numbers on artistic principles.
Such writers are generally remote from the events they
describe, but they may also be contemporaries. The estimates
of eye-witnesses are often affected by their state of mind.
Modern experience shows that estimates of enemy forces,
especially when these are victorious, are of little value. The
impression of a great event, a great conquest, or a great battle,
i. e. one having important consequences, seems to demand for
its adequate expression, in popular currency, a great number,
and certainly predisposes men to the acceptance of great
numbers as part of the story. So much is this the case that
grave suspicion must always attach to the allegation of large
numbers in explanation of a great victory or conquest. Con
quests, in fact, seem to have been accomplished with surprising
frequency by very small numbers. Fortunately tradition
hands down real as well as unreal numbers, so that definite
proof of the unreal numbers may frequently be given, and
a standard of comparison for other cases is supplied. The
way in which numbers that pass from mouth to mouth, or
from writer to writer, increase, is well known. Numerical
data, which occur in writers remote from the events they
describe are, therefore, of no value to a modern historian.