The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paralus]

I apologize for my misleading use of the term "extremely long sarissai" in my earlier post. What I should have said was simply 'longer' pikes. By this I mean on the order of 15 foot versus the 12 foot or so sarissai with which Philip probably began his career with the 'Macedonian' phalanx back in 358 B.C. There does not appear to be any evidence for this this longer device prior to the battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C., though I believe it must have been introduced earlier...

I know of no evidence for that. I’m assuming you see Philip adopting Iphicrates’ lengthened spears for which, again, we have no attestation. The only (contemporary) attestation we have is Theophrastus who, whilst indicating that the male cornel tree was suitable for javelins, notes that the tree was “at most twelve cubits, the length of the longest sarissa”. Without going into Macedonian versus Attic cubits and mathematics, this indicates that the longest sarissa was some 15-18 feet long and that there existed a shorter sarissa. One or more of the tactical manuals agrees with that (our resident keeper of "The Manuals", Paul Mac, will save me searching I'm sure....).

That there is no evidence for this weapon prior to Chaeronaea does not mean such absence proves absence of weapons: the material is rather patchy to say the least. Add to that Diodorus’ categorical statement that Philip, at the commencement of his reign, was the first to devise not only the “Macedonian phalanx” but also its “sunaspismon” order.

The differing lengths of sarissa are probably better explained by the use of the xyston by the Companion Cavalry. Arrian attests this in use at both at Granicus and Gaugamela and the Macedonians continued to use it under the Successors (see Gaza). Whilst it is fraught to deduce lengths from artwork, it appears to have been in the order of at least ten or a little more feet long, double bladed and made from cornel wood.

It is far easier to see this referred to as a sarissa rather than a “bloody long dory”. Thus the “cavalry sarissa” was the ten or more foot xyston.

I didn't mention its name, because I don't have it, and it is presently inaccessible.It is the 'Sylloge Tacticorum' (??????? ????????), compiled in the latter half of the 10th century, possibly during the reign of Constantine VII.

The Sylloge Tacticorum is available via Thesaurus Lingua Graecae under Anonyma Tactica Byzantina. Have you a reference?