Macedonian Soldier Stele

[Johnny Shumate]

I found this on AncientSculpturGallary website....This soldier clearly holds a pelta, Phrygian helmet, longche, thorax....
Opinions..?
Johnny

[Archelaos]

This is so called "Zoilos Stele" from Museum in Skopie.
Dated to late III early II century BC, is the only published (I believe) stele that show phalangite or peltast. This is very nice photo, I have only seen black-white ones before. Is it certain that the helmet is phrygian? This could be a nice argument for peltast option as we know that phalangitai in Philip V army wore conical piloi.
It is also discussed in Liampi Der Makedonishe Schild.

[Johnny Shumate]

Archelaos,
Thanks for the information...
I can't say for sure that it's a Phrygian helmet. It appears so to me....It could easily be a Pilos as you suggest.
Johnny

[MeinPanzer]

This sculpture is from Marvinci in the FYROM, and it is dated to the early 2nd c. BC. It is indeed nice to see a well-lit photograph, since in the only photograph that has been published, the top of the relief is not visible. Liampi and Hatzopoulos describe the helmet as being pilos, and I am inclined to agree with them.

Dated to late III early II century BC, is the only published (I believe) stele that show phalangite or peltast.

Another, dating to the late 4th or early 3rd c. BC, was published in the July issue of the American Journal of Archaeology, the stele of Nikolais son of Hadymos:

[Johnny Shumate]

Ruben,
That is a great photo....
I would assume this would be one of Philip's/Alexander's phalangites..? He is clearly holding a pelta.....
Johnny

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Very nice photos!
In my opinion the first stele shows a phrygian helmet. not very successfully,indeed,but i can even distinguis the characteristic small crest on the top (?). Piloi could have crests,but usually not of this type.
Just opinions though.
Khairete
Giannis

[MeinPanzer]

Ruben,
That is a great photo....
I would assume this would be one of Philip's/Alexander's phalangites..? He is clearly holding a pelta.....
Johnny

Yes, he is presumed to have been an officer of the phalangites.

[Paullus Scipio]

Giannis wrote"

In my opinion the first stele shows a phrygian helmet. not very successfully,indeed,but i can even distinguis the characteristic small crest on the top (?).

...I tend to agree. The helmet in the first photo clearly comes down the sides of the head to below the eyes ( which are not the two large 'upper' holes), is the wrong general shape,and does not seem to have a rim, so does not seem to my eyes to be a 'pilos' whereas the second helmet of Nikolaos clearly is conical, has a rim and plainly IS a 'pilos'. Interestingly, Nikolaos combines an expensive muscled cuirass/muskelpanzer with a simple/cheap 'pilos'. Since he dould obviously afford something it shows that the 'pilos' was not just worn because it was 'cheap'.....

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

I was thinking the same,but on italian vases and graves piloi and muscled cuirasses are often shown/found together. So if Italians found it apropriate and elaborate enough,i don't know why the greeks wouldn't. Some of them were ritchly decorated too,some times with silver.
Then the question comes,if the officers and the ritch wore piloi,then the ranks what did they wear?
To answer to my own question,perhaps just no muscled cuirasses.
Khairete
Giannis

[MeinPanzer]

Giannis wrote"

In my opinion the first stele shows a phrygian helmet. not very successfully,indeed,but i can even distinguis the characteristic small crest on the top (?).

...I tend to agree. The helmet in the first photo clearly comes down the sides of the head to below the eyes ( which are not the two large 'upper' holes), is the wrong general shape,and does not seem to have a rim, so does not seem to my eyes to be a 'pilos' whereas the second helmet of Nikolaos clearly is conical, has a rim and plainly IS a 'pilos'. Interestingly, Nikolaos combines an expensive muscled cuirass/muskelpanzer with a simple/cheap 'pilos'. Since he dould obviously afford something it shows that the 'pilos' was not just worn because it was 'cheap'.....

I was thinking the same,but on italian vases and graves piloi and muscled cuirasses are often shown/found together. So if Italians found it apropriate and elaborate enough,i don't know why the greeks wouldn't. Some of them were ritchly decorated too,some times with silver.
Then the question comes,if the officers and the ritch wore piloi,then the ranks what did they wear?
To answer to my own question,perhaps just no muscled cuirasses.
Khairete
Giannis

Juhel and Chatzopoulos, who published that stele, argue very convincingly that the pilos was if not standard issue among Macedonian infantry then at least very commonplace. Recall the Amphipolis stele, which seems to imply that the officers' armour varied only from the rank and file in including a hemithorakion or thorax, thus implying that they wore the pilos, too.

[Paullus Scipio]

That the 'pilos' was very common among Macedonian/Hellenistic troops can hardly be doubted - think of the number which survive from a Macedonian/Hellenistic context,

That it was 'universal', I very much doubt, because other types of Infantry helmet also exist in a Macedonian/Hellenistic context, and are frequently shown in art too.

Giannis' point about 'piloi' helmets being richly decorated at times is further evidence that this type was not just chosen for 'cheapness' reasons....

[MeinPanzer]

That the 'pilos' was very common among Macedonian/Hellenistic troops can hardly be doubted - think of the number which survive from a Macedonian/Hellenistic context,

That it was 'universal', I very much doubt, because other types of Infantry helmet also exist in a Macedonian/Hellenistic context, and are frequently shown in art too.

Giannis' point about 'piloi' helmets being richly decorated at times is further evidence that this type was not just chosen for 'cheapness' reasons....

They only argued that this was among the Macedonians proper, i.e. Alexandrian and Antigonid foot soldiers, though of course there is much evidence for its use among the infantry of the other Hellenistic kingdoms too.

[Paullus Scipio]

Even among Alexander's Macedonian Infantry, other types of helmet are found....think of the Phrygian types found in Macedonian tombs and on the "Alexander Sarcophagus" for example...

[MeinPanzer]

Even among Alexander's Macedonian Infantry, other types of helmet are found....think of the Phrygian types found in Macedonian tombs and on the "Alexander Sarcophagus" for example...

I myself am dubious of their claim that during most of Alexander's campaigns the konos/pilos was standard issue. However, based on this overlooked statement from Julius Africanus, they make a convincing case for such a shift later in Alexander's life, but more likely shortly following his death:

Kestoi[/i] 1.1.45-50":1tuo16fg]Some modifications were made to this military equipment [that of the Greeks, whom he describes before] by the Macedonian epigonoi, who due to the varying character of war, created unique armaments for the battles they waged among themselves and against the barbarians. For instance, they unobstructed the combatant's eyes through the introduction of the Laconian pilos. They say that this was a matter of the soldier king. For Alexander himself ordered the soldiers....

The content of the last line is irrelevant save for the fact that it is clear that the soldier king (tou stratiotou basileos) of the previous line is clearly Alexander. Julius Africanus was an early 3rd c. Christian philosopher, and his Kestoi (the kestos was the magical crossed belt worn by Aphrodite) contained a variety of facts and anecdotes, including a lot of military information. It has been noted that portions of his testimony are echoed in other extant sources (such as Philo of Byzantium and Arrian), which implies that his information was taken directly from older sources.

I do not have a problem accepting the notion that from the time of the Diadochoi, the rank and file phalangites (and perhaps the peltasts, too) were equipped with standard, state-issued piloi. As for some officers or other elite troops, they very well may have worn different types of helmets.

[Paullus Scipio]

By "peltasts", do you mean the elite Hellenistic sarissaphoroi, or the earlier troop type ? I am inclined to agree with Luke Ueda-Sarson that traditional 'peltasts' had disappeared among Greeks, hence Alexander's light infantry were Thracian/Balkan types......he argues that 'mistophoroi' were a hybrid peltast/hoplite of the 'Iphicratean' style rather than the earlier strict division among Greek mercenaries of Xenophon's day into heavy spear and aspis armed 'Hoplites' and light javelin and 'pelte' armed'Peltasts'....