PHALANGITES WITH JAVELINS A PREPONDERANCE OF POINTS

The Macedonian phalanx with which Alexander created one of the largest empires of the ancient world is typically imagined as rank upon rank of sarissa-armed soldiers in organized taxeis. There is, however, evidence that Macedonian phalangites did not exclusively use their sarissae, but also used javelins in a loose formation.

By Sean Manning

Both Diodorus and Curtius narrate the story of Dioxippus and Coragus, soldiers in Alexander’s army. In 325 BC, while in the land of the Mallians, a Greek and a Macedonian agreed to fight (Diodorus, 17.100; Curtius, 9.7.16–26). The Macedonian Coragus appeared with sword, shield, spear (longche), and sarissa, but he was defeated by Dioxippus who was armed only with a club. Dioxippus dodged the spear, broke the pike, and threw Coragus to the ground before he could draw his sword. Often explained as a lesson that the pike was inappropriate for single combat, Coragus obviously also carried, and used, a javelin. In AD 216, the emperor Caracalla formed his own ‘Macedonian’ phalanx, whose weapons were a spear, a pike, a bronze shield, and a sword (Cassius Dio, 78.71-2). The idea…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XVI.6

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