The Macedonian phalanx was not very different from the Hoplite phalanx of other Greeks states, it was better trained, armed with the sarissa enabling it to outreach its competitors and stave off enemy cavalry, and wore far lighter armor enabling longer endurance and long fast forced marches, including the ability to sprint to close and overwhelm opposing positions and archers. [2] The rest of the file was filled up by more inexperienced soldiers, often Persians during Alexanders Campaign. Macedonian phalanx, pikes up - a still from Oliver Stone's Alexander. The Macedonian cavalry fought in wedge formation[2] and was almost always stationed on the far right. So long as its flanks and rear were protected, the Macedonian phalanx proved unstoppable. The sarissae were carried in two pieces before a battle and then slid together when they were being used. Macedonian Phalanx. The sarrisa is alot longer than the doru. The first line was called the kontarion, the first four lines were made up of skutatoi the remaining three of toxotai. Could it have been possible for a traditional Greek Phalanx to defeat the Macedonian phalanx, and win the battle of … Each regiment of 256 men of Alexander's experimental phalanx was placed at a depth of 16 scales, of which the men of the first three were armed with sarisses, the men of the next with bows and those of the last again with sarisses. The Roman order on the other hand is flexible: for every Roman, once armed and on the field, is equally well-equipped for … The Macedonian success was not due to their phalanx's superiority (with the sarissa pike). check out the. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and defeat armies of other kingdoms. [1] The leader was followed by another two experienced Macedonian soldiers, with a third positioned at the very end of the file, all three who received about double pay. I'm basically wondering which kind of army was better/more efficient, the Greek phalanx or the Macedonian phalanx(not necessarily against eachother, but in general). However, it would be far easier for the Greek one to turn around and redeploy, drilled or not; that is incontrovertible. In the mighty Phalanx men stood side by side. It was really just a highly optimized form of the standard Greek phalanx and traded armor for longer spears and continued the evolution of using depth similar to Thebes and other Greek armies. They were covered by half of their shield and half by the soldier next to them's shield. His army was never a phalanx army armed with the sarissa. [2] Philip called the soldiers in the phalanx pezhetairoi, meaning "foot-companions", bolstering the importance of the phalanx to the king. Chr. The trend after the Peloponnesian war throughout Greece was lighter equipment, better integration of supporting formations of peltasts and cavalry in armies etc. A Greek phalanx charging into battle, as peltasts throw spears over the heads of the hoplites. (historical sociology) A Fourierite utopian community; a phalanstery. The formation was made up of spearmen carrying 18 to 20 ft (5.5–6 m) long spears. The Macedonian Empire of King Philip II, prior to his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC. Discover (and save!) In essence, the range of their counter-weighted sarissa, allowed them superior mobility as well as superior defense and attack abilities despit… [4] The left flank was generally covered by allied cavalry supplied by the Thessalians, which fought in rhomboid formation and served mainly in a defensive role. The sarisa or sarissa (Greek: σάρισα) was a long spear or pike about 4–6 metres (13–20 ft) in length. In 359 BC, following the Macedonian defeat from the Illyrians, which killed the majority of Macedonia's army and the current King Perdiccas III, Perdiccas' brother Philip II took the throne. The weapons of the first five rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spear points than available targets at any given time. It was one of the most successful infantry formations of the ancient world, only rivaled by the manipular formation of the Roman legions. The Greek armies of the Hellenistic period mostly fielded troops in the fashion of the Macedonian phalanx. Macedonian phalanx was more powerful but more specialized troops. There were always full bronze panoplies mixed with lighter, cheaper panoplies. It was used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire. That is simply not true. Not accounting for cavalry and other forces would force me to speculate pre-Macedonian armour! 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