Food and drink were not the Cyreans' only bodily concerns. From the outset of the expedition, they had to attend to the mundane chores of bodily maintenance, as well as to the task of disposing the tons of waste the army produced every day. Moreover, the soldiers faced a range of physiological and environmental challenges, from march-related foot injuries to heat stroke in the Mesopotamian desert. After Cunaxa, wounds and injuries became omnipresent threats, and there was further danger from Anatolia's rain, snow, and cold. The soldier's body was assailed from every direction; to cope, he had to rely on his suskenoi.

INITIAL HEALTH AND FITNESS

The Cyreans likely began the march in excellent health. Their environment was free of several serious diseases, including sexually transmitted gonorrhea and chlamydia. Their diet probably provided plenty of vitamins and minerals. They were also highly fit. Some contingents, such as that of Clearchus in Thrace and those of Socrates and Pasion besieging Miletus, were already on combat operations when Cyrus summoned them and therefore accustomed to the demands of active campaigning. Other contingents used marches to the army's assembly points at Sardis and Celaenae for conditioning; only Cheirisophus' men reached Cyrus directly by sea. Even Xenias' Ionian garrison troops apparently stayed in excellent shape. Along with the other contingents, they began the campaign by marching some 112 km (almost 70 miles) from Sardis to the Maeander River in only three days.

NUTRITION AND SLEEP

To sustain themselves the Cyreans needed food and water.