![]() Possibly its members had a more solid personal protection, since in the Macedonian phalanx the protection came from the long spears that were projected in front of the enemy, although the general trend in the Greek armies had been to lighten their hoplites. They were troops who would have yielded against Hellenic hoplites, but who could hold the line against the light Persian troops.Ī minor force subordinated to the Macedonian phalanx.Īgainst this last one it would have been in inferiority given the smaller length of its spears and its small number, but possibly it was superior in the fight against the Persian forces due to the greater versatility that its shorter spears allowed. The phalanx usually had only one mission, which was to set the enemy front to allow the cavalry to locate the flank and the rear (the famous “anvil” of the Macedonian army). The base on which Alexander and Philip II articulated their battles. They functioned as light Cavalry in the peltasta style. Their spears were almost certainly shorter than those of the Macedonian cavalry.Īllied Greek cavalry: from 600 to 750 horsemen.Ĭonventional Greek cavalry, possibly used as a reserve. The Thessalians stood out for their costumes, a huge wraparound cloak and a helmet that imitated a travel hat. The rest of the cavalries of the time knew only two maneuvers, the attack and the retreat, which gave the Thessalian cavalry a very remarkable advantage. This training gave them an enormous flexibility, since they could change their combat front from one vertex to another with a simple command. Most of its components would not carry any protection, except helmets and breastplates of leather and pressed linen, but it was a force that exceeded in mobility the Persian cataphracts. It was the “hammer” of Alexander’s tactics (the “anvil” corresponded to the phalanx). It was undoubtedly the elite force of the Macedonian professional army, a heavy cavalry of attack trained to strike the rear and the flanks of the enemies. It is not clear if the definition of “companion” came from the fact that they were “companions” of the king, which they protected in battle, as a type of royal guard, or from the fact that they were companions and equal among themselves, since they trained and lived together and were of more or less “noble” origin. Heavy Cavalry: from 1,700 to 2,100 riders ![]() The force that under the command of Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the Persian Empire, thus ensuring the extension of the Hellenistic culture to most of the world known at that time, was composed in total from 40,000 Experienced and well-armed fighters. The Army of Alexander the Great: Composition ![]()
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