Weight and grip of sarissa and shield in macedonian phalanx

[MeinPanzer]

Paul B's quote from Plutarch's Paullus (19.2)...

And when he saw that the rest of the Macedonian troops also were drawing their targets from their shoulders round in front of them, and with long spears set at one level were withstanding his shield-bearing troops, and saw too the strength of their interlocked shields and the fierceness of their onset, amazement and fear took possession of him, and he felt that he had never seen a sight more fearful; often in after times he used to speak of his emotions at that time and of what he saw.

...might be that much clearer were Polybios' original to have survived. Somewhat unfortunately, we rely on the fellow who tells us that, at Cynoscephalae, Philip V ordered his phalanx to throw down their sarisae (because they were an impediment) - Livy.

It's fairly certain that the details of the battle relayed by Plutarch were derived from Scipio Nasica's firsthand account, and so they can be taken as trustworthy.

What next he sees is more likely the as yet to engage phalanx brigades lowering sariae and advancing to the attack. Hence the appearance of the slung shield "rotating around and down" with the movement down and forward of the arms?

Nick Sekunda, whose analysis of the battle sounds the most convincing to me, asserts that the troops in the second line described as swinging their peltai around were peltasts following up the first line after their engagement with the Romans.