Abstract
The article examines the time and circumstances of the introduction of the sarissa into use on the Macedonian phalanx. This type of infantry spear was signifi cantly longer than the traditional hoplite polearm, giving the wielder an advantage in striking range. Moreover, the sarissa required a two-handed grip, unusual for Hellenic military practice, and a transition to the use of a new version of the shield. The process of introducing the sarissa is very sparingly covered in written sources and, due to the lack of detailed descriptions of this weapon, cannot be reliably traced in archaeological materials. However, it has been established that the assumption that the sarissa appeared in the arsenal of the Macedonian infantry only towards the end of the reign of Philip II is unfounded. According to information going back to the lost work of Ephorus, sarissas were part of the equipment of Philip’s phalangists already at the initial stage of his reign. This conclusion correlates well with the circumstances of Philip’s fi rst victory over the Illyrians, achieved, according to sources, with the help of selected infantry units. Consideration of information about Iphicrates’ reform, which involved arming mercenaries with longer spears, shows that there are convincing reasons to consider the Athenian commander the real creator of the sarissa. A similar conclusion is drawn regarding the hypothesis that Philip borrowed a long two-handed spear from the Thracians. Its obvious disadvantages are the lack of convincing archaeological evidence and poor compliance with the peculiarities of the military art of the Thracians, who had no analogue to the Macedonian phalanx and had virtually no need for bulky weapons, which could only be eff ective in dense battle formations. These sources, the result of terminological analysis taking into account the conditions and circumstances of the creation of the new Macedonian “military machine,” allow us to conclude that the most reasonable is the opinion that the sarissa was created in the Argead kingdom during the initial stage of Philip’s military reform.
Keywords
Sarissa, phalanx, Philip II, Macedonia, Alexander the Great, Iphicrates, Thracians.
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