Echecrates who commanded the right wing at first waited for the result of the engagement between the other wings, but when he saw the cloud of dust being carried in his direction, and their own elephants not even daring to approach those of the enemy,
he ordered Phoxidas with the mercenaries from Greece to attack the hostile force in his front,
while he himself with his cavalry and the division immediately behind the elephants moving off the field and round the enemy's flank, avoided the onset of the animals and speedily put to flight the cavalry of the enemy, charging them both in flank and rear.
Phoxidas and his men met with the same success; for charging the Arabs and Medes they forced them to headlong flight.
Antiochus' right wing then was victorious, while his left wing was being worsted in the manner I have described.
Meanwhile the phalanxes stripped of both their wings remained intact in the middle of the plain, swayed alternately by hope and fear.
Antiochus was still occupied in pursuing his advantage on the right wing,
but Ptolemy having retired under shelter of the phalanx suddenly came forward and showing himself to his troops caused consternation among the enemy and inspired his own men with increased alacrity and spirit.
Lowering their pikes, therefore, the phalanx under <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Andromachus&groupId=330&placeId=640">Andromachus</a> and Sosibius advanced to the charge.
For a short time the picked Syrian troops resisted, but those under Nicarchus quickly turned and fled.
Antiochus all this time, being still young and inexperienced and supposing from his own success that his army was victorious in other parts of the field too, was following up the fugitives.
But at length on one of his elder officers calling his attention to the fact that the cloud of dust was moving from the phalanx towards his own camp he realized what had happened, and attempted to return to the battle-field with his horse-guards.
But finding that his whole army had taken to flight, he retired to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Raphia&groupId=925&placeId=1656">Raphia</a>, in the confident belief that as far as it depended on himself he had won the battle, but had suffered this disaster owing to the base cowardice of the rest.
Walbank Commentary