Cassius Dio and 3 ply linothorakes

[PMBardunias]

Cassius Dio (78.7) writes in describing a specially raised unit of "Macedonians" that:

He organized a phalanx, composed entirely of Macedonians, sixteen thousand strong, named it "Alexander's phalanx," and equipped it with the arms that warriors had used in his day; 2 these consisted of a helmet of raw ox-hide, a three-ply linen breastplate, a bronze shield, long pike, short spear, high boots, and sword.

Are the raw hide helmet, presumably quilted gambeson, since its 3 ply, and high boots used in the Roman army at the time this unit was raised? I am wondering if contemporary elements were simply cobbled together to form a facsimile of a Macedonian, or if there is any reason to believe that Cassius or the Romans making the new panoply were specifically reading references to actual Macedonian kit. Was there an ancient reference, now lost, to a 3 ply macedonian thorax?

[Sean Manning]

Pretty much everything in that list except the leather helmet and tripple linen thorax can be confirmed in other sources on Alexander's army. But I don't think we have any way of knowing if the emperor was succesful in arming his men like Alexander's would have been, because we only have this one description of the phalanx, and slightly better sources on Alexander's men. I think there was an Ancient Warfare article on the Roman army recently that argued for the theory that the phalanx would have looked a lot like other contemporary Roman soldiers.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Or more than likely, they had access to the real deal to copy, which, like so much else, is now lost to us?

[john m roberts]

According to Livy, the linothorax of King Tolumnius was dedicated at the temple of Jupiter Feretrius ca. 437 BC, and was still there in the reign of Augustus. It's not unlikely that there were specimens of authentic Macedonian helmets and thorakes from the time of Alexander dedicated at temples in Italy and elsewhere, and available for copying.

[Sean Manning]

John and Gaius, I tend to think there is some value in what Dio says, since educated people in his day would know roughly what a phalanx armed in the Macedonian manner looked like. They had read histories and seen dedications in temples and paintings in public buildings. But I keep in mind that in any area of history other than ancient, using sources 500 years after the events they describe would be unthinkable. And among people who study Alexander's army, this passage seems to be controversial ...

[MeinPanzer]

David Karunanithy wrote a good article about this passage a while back in Slingshot magazine. The oddest piece of equipment mentioned is definitely the raw oxhide helmet, but this can be explained if we take it to refer to the kausia.

While many sources relating to the kausia indicate that all of part of it could be made of felt, we do have a reference to a lambskin kausia in one instance, while Philo of Byzantium mentions using a leather kausia to transmit secret messages. The kausia was well known in antiquity as one of three stereotypically Macedonian pieces of costume (the other two being chlamys and krepides), and while how widespread the use of the kausia was is debated, elite Macedonian soldiers certainly would have worn them.

The question is, though, whether they commonly wore them in combat or not. Antipater's Garland of Philip, 41 refers to the kausia as a "eukolon hoplon," a comfortable piece of equipment, and then calls it a "korus en ptolemoi," or a helmet in war. If we suppose that the kausia was not a marker of status, and that it was simply a traditional piece of costume worn by all Macedonians, then poorer phalangites very well could have worn them as all-purpose headgear, like the pilos.

Of course, the creator of the phalanx described by Cassius Dio could simply have been looking to create as stereotypical a phalanx of "Macedonians" as possible, and so mashed together every piece of equipment associated with the Macedonians into one unit!

[Dain II.]

The question is, though, whether they commonly wore them in combat or not.

Whats with the infantryman at the Pompeimosaic behind the ass of Alexandros horse? In my opinion he wears a sandcoloured kausia, maybe an Agrianian?
Very interessting the thing with the oxhidekausia.

[MeinPanzer]

The question is, though, whether they commonly wore them in combat or not.

Whats with the infantryman at the Pompeimosaic behind the ass of Alexandros horse? In my opinion he wears a sandcoloured kausia, maybe an Agrianian?
Very interessting the thing with the oxhidekausia.

I think that he is commonly taken to be Ptolemy, but don't quote me on that. He is one of the only examples that I am aware of of what can reasonably be taken as a realistic depiction of a Macedonian in combat wearing a kausia, but again the depiction is problematic because he is, as far as can be told from the condition of the mosaic today, the only Macedonian wearing one in the whole scene.

[Dain II.]

The eastern Kazanluk painting shows also a kausia worn in battle by the infantryman of the left group with chlamys, sica and thureos(?).

lg Stephan

[rocktupac]

The question is, though, whether they commonly wore them in combat or not.

Whats with the infantryman at the Pompeimosaic behind the ass of Alexandros horse? In my opinion he wears a sandcoloured kausia, maybe an Agrianian?
Very interessting the thing with the oxhidekausia.

I think that he is commonly taken to be Ptolemy, but don't quote me on that. He is one of the only examples that I am aware of of what can reasonably be taken as a realistic depiction of a Macedonian in combat wearing a kausia, but again the depiction is problematic because he is, as far as can be told from the condition of the mosaic today, the only Macedonian wearing one in the whole scene.

I am confused as to which person you are referring to. The person immediately to Alexander's right arm is not shown to be wearing a hat or helmet. The cream-colored arc just below the dark-colored horse's jaw is part of the rider's reins (see Alexander's horse for similar fitting); and the person adjacent to Alexander's right shoulder (above the dark-colored horse head) is clearly wearing a Boeotian-style helmet with some sort of gold leaf/wreath motif. This style of helmet can also be seen on the so-called Alexander sarcophagus, where another member of Alexander's cavalry wears it.

[MeinPanzer]

I am confused as to which person you are referring to. The person immediately to Alexander's right arm is not shown to be wearing a hat or helmet. The cream-colored arc just below the dark-colored horse's jaw is part of the rider's reins (see Alexander's horse for similar fitting); and the person adjacent to Alexander's right shoulder (above the dark-colored horse head) is clearly wearing a Boeotian-style helmet with some sort of gold leaf/wreath motif. This style of helmet can also be seen on the so-called Alexander sarcophagus, where another member of Alexander's cavalry wears it.

We are referring to the face which can be seen immediately to the left of Alexander's right arm. If you look right beside his right forearm, you can see a brow, nose, mouth, and chin, and examination of the remnants of the mosaic in that area have shown that what can be seen of his headgear indicates that he is wearing a kausia.

[rocktupac]

We are referring to the face which can be seen immediately to the left of Alexander's right arm. If you look right beside his right forearm, you can see a brow, nose, mouth, and chin, and examination of the remnants of the mosaic in that area have shown that what can be seen of his headgear indicates that he is wearing a kausia.

I believe that is the strap belonging to the dark-colored horse's reins (seen above/behind the face in question). The slightly curved band (which is misidentified as a kausia) attaches to the reddish piece of the bit of the dark-colored horse. This is also the same with the horse Alexander is riding and we get a much clearer idea of what this strap actually is. I do not believe it is evidence of that soldier wearing the kausia.

[MeinPanzer]

I believe that is the strap belonging to the dark-colored horse's reins (seen above/behind the face in question). The slightly curved band (which is misidentified as a kausia) attaches to the reddish piece of the bit of the dark-colored horse. This is also the same with the horse Alexander is riding and we get a much clearer idea of what this strap actually is. I do not believe it is evidence of that soldier wearing the kausia.

You're still missing it. Here's a picture pointing out the face with the kausia outlined.

http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/image ... kausia.jpg

[rocktupac]

The question is, though, whether they commonly wore them in combat or not.

Whats with the infantryman at the Pompeimosaic behind the ass of Alexandros horse? In my opinion he wears a sandcoloured kausia, maybe an Agrianian?
Very interessting the thing with the oxhidekausia.

I believe that is the strap belonging to the dark-colored horse's reins (seen above/behind the face in question). The slightly curved band (which is misidentified as a kausia) attaches to the reddish piece of the bit of the dark-colored horse. This is also the same with the horse Alexander is riding and we get a much clearer idea of what this strap actually is. I do not believe it is evidence of that soldier wearing the kausia.

You're still missing it. Here's a picture pointing out the face with the kausia outlined.

http://antiquemilitaryhistory.com/image ... kausia.jpg

Ah yes, I see what you're talking about now! I completely missed it. :oops:

An article written by Chryssoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli ("Aspects of Ancient Macedonian Costume" JHS 113, 1993) identifies the rider, thought to be Ptolemy, as wearing a kausia as well (p. 136).