The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paullus Scipio]

More digressions? Bugger !
Paralus wrote:-

You bet wrong. Arrian, Anabasis 4.8-9

You misunderstand ! I was betting that, amongst the plethora of weapons referred to in our various sources, not only is 'longche' the most referred to (including Arrian), but also the most likely for the purpose, as opposed to a 'sarissa'.

The weapon is clearly referred to as a sarisa - twice.

Err, not in your quote it isn't ! His first version has a 'longche' snatched from a 'somatophylakes'. "according to others" it was a 'sarissa' taken from a 'guard'/phylakes (Arrian does not say a 'hypaspist', the guard might even be an ordinary 'sarissaphoroi' from one of the 'Taxeis'). Nor do we know if Arrian is quoting his sources word-for-word - we have only Arrian's words. Is Aristobulus the source of the 'longche/somatophylakes? Or is he one of the "others"? According to Arrian; "Aristobulus does not mention the occasion of the drinking bout", so he is NOT the source of Arrian's primary version. Arrian does not even say if Aristobulus is one of the "others".
In Arrian's words: "Accounts of this incident differ".

What is clear is that we know neither who the Guard in the incident was, nor what the weapon was. Hardly evidence of 'Hypaspist' armament. Arrian doesn't even mention 'Hypaspists' in your quotation !

What do you say to the iconography? ....the archaeology?

Anyway, enough distractions :x ?