x While the two armies confronted each other across the Yarmouk
plain for nearly three months, reinforcements kept arriving on the
Muslim side, eventually persuading the Byzantines to attack before
they lost their heavy numerical advantage.
x Vahan drew up his forces in four large blocks stretching out over
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o The main body of each section was composed of a mass of
infantry with a cavalry unit positioned behind. Vahan posted
his best heavy infantry on the right to serve as anchor for the
line. Vahan took up his place in the center.
o In addition, Vahan had a large number of Arabic auxiliaries and
FDYDOU\OHGE\WKHLURZQRI¿FHUx Khalid also organized his men into four large blocks, each opposing
one of Vahan’s. Like the Byzantines’, the blocks were mainly
infantry with small cavalry units behind them. However, Khalid
also kept a large central reserve of cavalry to the rear under the
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combats occurred, in which champions from each side stepped out
from the ranks and challenged one of the enemy to a one-on-one
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him, Vahan ordered some of his infantry forward, and skirmishing
occurred along the line.
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push by the Byzantines, again along the entire front. Vahan’s
strategy seems to have been to engage the main forces of the
Rashidun in the center and drive forward on the right and left wings
to envelop and surround them.
x As the day wore on, the plan started to work, but each of the four
main sections of the Rashidun army had located its own camp
directly behind the line, and as the right and left wings retreated,