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The army of ancient Macedon is considered to be among the greatest military forces of the ancient world. It became the formidable force known from history first under the rule of King Philip II of Macedon and then his son, Alexander the Great. Image File history File links Battleofissus333BC-mosaic. ...
Image File history File links Battleofissus333BC-mosaic. ...
The Alexander Mosaic, dating from approx. ...
Combatants Macedon, Greek allies Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 13,000 peltasts,[1] 22,000 hoplites,[2] 5,850 cavalry[2] 103,000 (Modern Consensus)[3] (See below) Casualties 7,000[4] 30,000 The Battle of Issus (or more commonly The Battle at Issus) occurred...
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ...
Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ...
Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ...
The military innovations, both in weapons and tactics, brought forth by Philip II of Macedonia were what truly forged the army that conquered an empire. He turned warfare and combat into a way of life for the Macedonians, who until then had treated the military as a part-time occupation to be pursued during the off-season from farming. By introducing the military as a full-time occupation, Philip II of Macedonia was able to drill his men regularly, building unity and cohesion. This created one of the finest military machines that Asia or Greece had ever seen, thanks to the amount of time and effort spent on maneuvers as well as military innovations. World map showing the location of Asia. ...
Tactical innovations included the more effective use of the traditional Greek phalanx, as well as coordinated attacks (early combined arms) and tactics between his phalanx infantry units, cavalry, archers, and siege engines. Weapons introduced included the sarissa, a type of counter-weighted long pike, which created many advantages, both offensively and defensively, for the Macedonian infantry in particular, and for its combined military in general. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects. ...
Military tactics (Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army) are the collective name for methods for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ...
Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ...
French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ...
Archers in Competition Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ...
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. ...
The sarissa (or sarisa) was a 3 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long double pointed pike used in the Macedonian phalanx. ...
A modern recreation of a mid-17th century company of pikemen. ...
Macedonian cavalry
Ancient depiction of Macedonian cavalry. The heavy cavalry included the Companion cavalry, raised from the Macedonian nobility, and the Thessalian cavalry. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1555x1059, 346 KB) Alexander on horse at the battle of Issos (Alexander Sarcophagus, Istanbul Archaeological Museum). ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1555x1059, 346 KB) Alexander on horse at the battle of Issos (Alexander Sarcophagus, Istanbul Archaeological Museum). ...
The Companions (Greek ΕταίÏοι) were Alexander the Greats elite cavalry, the main offensive arm of his army, and also his elite guard. ...
The Companion cavalry (hetairoi, mounted noble 'companions'; like philoi (basilikoi) '(royal) friends', the term became an aulic title in the diadochi period) was divided into eight squadrons called ile, 200 strong, except the Royal Squadron of 300. They were equipped with a 3 meter lance, the xyston, and heavy body armor. During the reign of Alexander the Great, cavalrymen carried no shields. However, the Companion cavalry of the Antigonid dynasty did carry large, round bossed shields of Celtic origin. The Companions (Greek: Hetairoi) were Alexander the Greats elite cavalry, the offensive arm of his army and also his elite guard. ...
Aulic titulature is a term, derived from the Greek Aulè and Latin Aula (in the meaning palace) for hierarchic systems of titles specifically in use for court protocol. ...
In general Diadochi (in Greek Διάδοχοι, transcripted Diadochoi) means successors, such that the neoplatonic refounders of Platos Academy in Late Antiquity referred to themselves as diadochi (of Plato). ...
Xyston (Greek spear, javelin) was a type of a long thrusting lance in ancient Greece. ...
The Antigonid dynasty was a dynasty of Macedonian kings descended from Alexander the Greats general Antigonus I Monophthalmus (the One-eyed). Antigonus himself ruled mostly over Asia Minor and northern Syria. ...
The organization of the Thessalian cavalry was similar to the Companion Cavalry, but they had a shorter spear and fought in a looser formation.
Of light cavalry, the prodromoi (runners) secured the wings of the army during battle and went on reconnaissance missions. Several hundred allied horses rounded out the cavalry, but were inferior to the rest. The Prodromoi (singular Prodromos) were the Greek skirmisher light cavalry. ...
Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...
In battle, the Macedonian cavalry under Alexander and Philip II would hit the flanks or rear of the enemy, who would be trying to beat the phalanx of sarissa wielding pikemen in a phalanx. It seems to appear that Alexander would organize his left flank into a thin line to make it appear weak, while a massive phalanx would be on the right. The enemy would attack the left flank, and the phalanx would counter them, leaving the cavalry (behind the phalanx) to run around and attack the enemy infantry, or even the commander, as Alexander did when he defeated Darius once. The sarissa (or sarisa) was a 3 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long double pointed pike used in the Macedonian phalanx. ...
Macedonian phalanx
Ancient depiction of Macedonian infantry.
Macedonian battle formation, courtesy of The Department of History, United States Military Academy. The hypaspists, elite heavy infantry, are mislabeled as elite heavy cavalry. The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire and other armies. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Hellenistic period, although wars had evolved into more protracted operations generally involving sieges and naval combat as much as field battles, until they were finally displaced by the Roman Legion. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1187x1412, 1062 KB) Macedonian Foot Companion File links The following pages link to this file: Ancient Macedonian military ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1187x1412, 1062 KB) Macedonian Foot Companion File links The following pages link to this file: Ancient Macedonian military ...
Image File history File links Macedonian_battle_formation. ...
Image File history File links Macedonian_battle_formation. ...
Hypaspistai, or hypaspists, were elite foot guardsmen as used by Alexander the Greats Macedonian army. ...
Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ...
This article is about the military unit. ...
Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ...
Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ...
The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance...
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ...
Navy is also:- shorthand for Navy Blue the nickname of the United States Naval Academy A navy is the branch of the armed forces of a nation that operates primarily on water. ...
Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ...
The Roman Legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) is a term that can apply both as a transliteration of legio (conscription or army) to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly (and more commonly), to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of...
Philip II spent much of his youth as a hostage at Thebes, where he studied under the renowned general Epaminondas, whose reforms were the basis for the Phillip's tactics. Phalangites were professional soldiers, and were among the first troops ever to be drilled, thereby allowing them to execute complex maneuvers well beyond the reach of most other armies. They fought packed in a close rectangular formation, typically eight men deep (becoming sixteen men deep under Phillip), with a leader at the head of each column and a secondary leader in the middle, so that the back rows could move off to the sides if more frontage was needed. Thebes (in Demotic Greek: Θήβα — ThÃva, Katharevousa: — ThÄ“bai or ThÃve) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ...
For information about the modern board game of the same name, see Epaminondas (game). ...
Phalangite is the Greek name for an infantryman deployed in a phalanx (massive rectangular (or square) closed formation ) of Classical and hellenistic antiquity. ...
Each phalangite carried as his primary weapon a sarissa, a double-pointed pike over 6 m (18 ft) in length. It is the belief of some that these pikes were so large and heavy that they had to be wielded with two hands in battle, but this would contradict statues and reports contemporary to phalangist troops that showed these soldiers wearing large and heavy shields over one arm; regardless, it is likely that phalangite training was sufficient to permit proper use of the shield and sarissa. Before a battle the sarissa were carried in two pieces and then slid together when they were being used. At close range such large weapons were of little use, but an intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance; the weapons of the first five rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spearpoints than available targets at any given time. A phalangite also carried a secondary weapon, a short sword for close quarter fighting. The sarissa (or sarisa) was a 3 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long double pointed pike used in the Macedonian phalanx. ...
A modern recreation of a mid-17th century company of pikemen. ...
The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ...
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
Neither Philip nor Alexander actually used the phalanx as their arm of choice, but instead used it to hold the enemy in place while their heavy cavalry broke through their ranks. The Macedonian cavalry fought in wedge formation and was stationed on the far right; after these broke through the enemy lines they were followed by the hypaspists, lighter infantrymen who served as the king's bodyguard, and then the phalanx proper. The left flank was generally covered by allied cavalry supplied by the Thessalians, which fought in rhomboid formation and served mainly in a defensive role. Other forces — skirmishers, range troops, reserves of allied hoplites, Cretan archers, and artillery — were also employed. The phalanx carried with it a fairly minimal baggage train, with only one servant for every few men. This gave it a marching speed that contemporary armies could not hope to match — on occasion forces surrendered to Alexander simply because they were not expecting him to show up for several more days. Phalangites were drilled to perform short forced marches if required. French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ...
A flying wedge or flying V is a charging technique in which troops are arrayed to form a V- shaped wedge formation or boars head. ...
Hypaspistai, or hypaspists elite foot guardsmen as used by Alexander the Greats Macedonian army. ...
Armenian king Tigranes the Great. ...
Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek ThessalÃa; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ...
These shapes are Rhomboids In geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique. ...
Skirmishers are infantry soldiers who are stationed ahead or to the sides of a larger body of friendly troops. ...
Archers in Competition Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ...
Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ...
A servant is a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ...
Michelangelos David is the classical image of youthful male beauty in Western art A man is a male human. ...
Marching Naval Construction Battalion NMCB-1 (Seabees) 370th Infantry Regiment walking toward the mountains at north of Prato - April 1945 (Gothic Line) Marching (drill) refers to the organised and uniformed rhythmic walk to march music, often associated with military troops and parades. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
The armies of the early Hellenistic period were equipped and fought mainly in the same style as Alexander's. Towards the end, however, there was a general slide away from the combined arms approach back to using the phalanx itself as the arm of decision, having it charge into the enemy lines much like earlier hoplites had. This left the formation fairly vulnerable — though near invincible to forwards assault, phalanxes like other infantry formations were fairly prone to flanking, and worse still tending to break up when advancing quickly over rough ground. So long as everyone was using the same tactics these weaknesses were not immediately apparent, but with the advent of the Roman legion they proved fatal in every major engagement, the most famous being the Battle of Pydna, as the Romans were able to advance through gaps in the line and easily defeat the Phalangites once in close. Flank is a word which might mean any of several different things: A flank is the side of either a horse or a military unit. ...
The Roman Legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) is a term that can apply both as a transliteration of legio (conscription or army) to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly (and more commonly), to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of...
Combatants Macedon Roman Republic Commanders Perseus of Macedon # Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus Strength 44,000 38,000 Casualties 25,000 killed and wounded 1000+ dead, numerous wounded. ...
The Macedonian phalanx was not very different from the Hoplite phalanx of other Greeks states, save it was better trained, armed with the pike enabling it to outreach its competitors and stave off enemy cavalry, and wore far lighter armor enabling longer endurance and long fast forced marches, including the ability to sprint to close and overwhelm opposing positions and archers. In essence, the range of their counter-weighted sarissa pike, allowed them superior mobility as well as superior defense and attack abilities despite the encumbrance disadvantages of the longer weapon once trained up to handling it in formation. Centuries later, the Canton organized militia of Swiss Pikemen enjoyed similar advantages over less well trained contemporary militaries which were identically equipped, which emphasizes the importance of training and unit cohesion in the scheme. In Phillip's and Alexander's time, the Macedonian phalanx had clear technical superiority. The sarissa (or sarisa) was a 3 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long double pointed pike used in the Macedonian phalanx. ...
Combined Tactics The cavalry would mostly be positioned on a wing of the army and normally would wait for the Phalanx to lock the enemy in place before charging the flank or rear, often to devastating effect as very few enemies would deviate from the combat - a Greek phalanx would have physical difficulty and most opponents would be killed as they marched perpendicular to the line, then the now-free wing group would attack the main army's flank and begin an envelopment maneuver. This was not always used, however, at the Hydasypedes River the cavalry moved far off to the left wing with a few pikemen and ambushed the Indians. At Gaugamela the cavalry moved straight for the Persian King and the hypaspists covered the flanks with the support of javelin skirmishers and allied cavalry. These proved important when the right wing cavalry hit the left guard under Parmenio, forcing the companions to pull back from their pursuit of the Persian left. In the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of Persia. ...
Parmenion (c 400 BC - Ecbatana, 330 BC) was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. ...
See also The Hellenistic armies is the term applied to the armies of the successor kingdoms which emerged after the death of the Alexander the Great. ...
The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ...
The Pezhetairoi (singular Pezhetairos) were the backbone of the Macedonian army. ...
The Companions (Greek ΕταίÏοι) were Alexander the Greats elite cavalry, the main offensive arm of his army, and also his elite guard. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The sarissa (or sarisa) was a 3 to 7 meter (13-21 feet) long double pointed pike used in the Macedonian phalanx. ...
Xyston (Greek spear, javelin) was a type of a long thrusting lance in ancient Greece. ...
Combatants Macedon Athens, Thebes Commanders Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great Chares of Athens, Lysicles of Athens, Theagenes of Boeotia Strength 32,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry 35,000 Casualties Unknown 1,000 Athenians killed, 254 Boeotians killed, 2,000 captured The Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), fought near...
Combatants Macedon Greek allies Persia Greek mercenaries Commanders Alexander the Great Spithridates, Mithridates, Memnon of Rhodes, other Strength 5,000 cavalry 26,000 infantry 15,000 cavalry 12,000 Persian infantry 4-5,000 Greek mercenaries Casualties Between 100-200 4,000 killed 2,000 captured {{{notes}}} The Battle of...
The Alexander Mosaic or The Battle of Issus, dating from approx. ...
Combatants Macedon Achaemenid Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 9,000 peltasts,[1] 31,000 hoplites,[1][2] 7,000 cavalry[2] Casualties Heavy[3] In the Battle of Gaugamela (IPA: ) in 331 BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated Darius III of Achaemenid Persia. ...
The battle of the Hydaspes River was a battle fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against the Indian king Purushotthama (better known as Porus) on the Hydaspes River (now the Jhelum) in present-day Pakistan. ...
In 332 BC, Alexander the Great set out to conquer Tyre, a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. ...
Combatants Macedon Roman Republic Commanders Perseus of Macedon # Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus Strength 44,000 38,000 Casualties 25,000 killed and wounded 1000+ dead, numerous wounded. ...
Combatants Roman Republic Macedon Commanders T. Quinctius Flamininus Philip V of Macedon Strength about 33,400 men about 22,500 men Casualties about 700 8,000 killed, 5,000 captured The Battle of Cynoscephalae was fought in Thessaly in 197 BC between the Roman army, led by Titus Quinctius Flamininus...
Aelian (Aelianus Tacticus) was a Greek military writer of the 2nd century A.D., resident at Rome. ...
References and Further Reading - The Seventy Great Battles of All Time, Edited by Jeremy Black, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2005
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