8.3 Flashcards
Macedonian society: the people and upper class
what did the majoriy of people do and what positions did th eupper class have and what were they called
and what did th eyoung sons os the igher arisoscrscy join?
The people: the majority of the population were
farmers and herders living in scattered villages.
There were also several towns, which developed
over time.
The upper class: a landed aristocracy who shared the
lifestyle of the king and formed the upper ranks of
the army, in particular the cavalry. They were called
‘Companions’ (Hetairoi). The king rewarded
members of the aristocracy for their services with
grants of land. The young sons of the higher
aristocracy joined the ‘Royal Pages’ and were
trained for their future role, living with the king and
assisting him in all his tasks.
Where did the king claim to eb from amcedon and what was his role
The king: a hereditary king who claimed to descend
from heroes (Perseus and Hercules). The king had
an important religious role and led the army
fighting in the front line.
The king controlled a large amount of farmland,
plus the forests and the gold and silver mines,
which were state property and produced a very
considerable income
What military reform did Philip do?
and was teh pike called by the macedonians
Brone spear but pained MAK means?
Before Philip, Macedon had a good tradition of
cavalry, but a poorly trained and equipped
infantry.
* Philip II equipped his infantry with helmets, long
pikes, greaves and shields of the Macedonian
type, lighter and without the offset rim. The pike
was called by the Macedonians sarissa
Bronze spear butt with painted
letters “MAK” = “of the
Macedonians.”
The inscriptions confirms that
the Macedonian state issued
military equipment
Explain the power of teh king and assembly
and what was the authority of the king largelly based of?
here was an assembly of the people, which in time of
war coincided with the army. Its main function was to
ratify the decisions of the king and acclaim the new
king. The assembly might refuse to ratify very
unpopular decisions but the king was not bound by the
opinion of the people.
The authority of the king was largely based on his
personal prestige: unpopular kings faced mutinies,
conspiracies and pretenders to the throne.
The power of the Macedonian king was perceived as
unusual and “barbaric” by the southern Greeks, who
had developed a strong anti-monarchical ideology
especially after the Persian Wars.
Reconstrution of macedoinan shields comapred to greek hoplite shields
acedonian shields
were smaller and
lighter than Greek
hoplite shields. They
had only one
handle/arm band
that allowed the
soldier to hold the
long sarissa with
two hands
How was the sarissa advnatgeous and limitation
The long sarissa allowed to reach the enemy
before they were in range to use their spears
- Not only the first rank, but also the next 3-4
could use effectively their weapons. - The sarissa was heavier than a hoplite spear
and is held with both hands, which allowed for
more power and better penetration through
shields and armor.
Needs a relatively even terrain
* Vulnerable to missiles
* Flanks and rear are exposed
To maximize its potential, the
Macedonian phalanx needs to operate in
combination with other units (cavalry,
light infantry, skirmishers, archers etc.)
Military reforms of Philip II
Who led each file
Macedonian soldiers were able to march over
long distances carrying their equipment and
provisions. This allowed the Macedonian army to
move faster than their enemies across rugged
terrain.
* Each file was led by a junior officer who received
double pay.
* While in service, soldiers received a salary and a
share of the spoils. Since the army was almost
permanently active, the soldiers became virtually
professional.
The Macedonian army was made of three main
components, supported by skirmishers, archers and
units of allies and mercenaries, both infantry and cavalry:
The Macedonian army was made of three main
components, supported by skirmishers, archers and
units of allies and mercenaries, both infantry and
cavalry:
* The phalanx
* The “Shield-bearers” (Hypaspist)
* The “Companion Cavalry”
Other components of the Macedonian military, which
expanded rapidly thanks to the increased revenue
generated by mines, natural resources and
conquered territories, were:
* Artillery and military engineers, which were crucial
for siege warfare
* The fleet, which was previously non-existent
The Phalanx of Macedonia were organzied into large untis of about ___ led by who?
hey were organized into large units
of about 1,500 led by a senior officer.
Who are teh shiekd bears whats thier other name
hypaspist
A regiment of of chosen soldiers who were
the king’s footguard. They were probably
formed by Philip II.
* Since they fought in close support of the
cavalry, in mountain warfare and siege
warfare, they must have been a more
flexible and mobile unit and probably they
did not use the long pike.
* Their place in the battle line was between
the phalanx and the Companion cavalry.
They were also used as police force by the
king.
Who were the companion calvary and what were noble compains made of?
he “Companion Cavalry”,
*The Macedonian heavy cavalry.
*The noble “Companions” made the
“royal squadron”, while the other
squadrons were made of soldiers
from the same district.
Comparsion of macedion calvary and greek
what was thier main offensive weapon
he Macedonian
Companion cavalry
was more heavily
armed than other
Greek cavalry
units. It seems
that body armor
and helmet were
rather common
The main offensive
weapon was a
cavalry lance more
robust than the
Greek ones,
complemented by
the sword. They
did not use
shields.
Macedion calvary formation
he Macedonians adopted the wedge
formation, which allowed to change
direction rapidly and exploited the horses’
herd instinct.
* This allowed the use of the cavalry as
main striking force: Macedonian cavalry
was used to break through the enemy line
and exploit gaps, frequently with the
support of the “shield-bearers
Since each squadron was made of about
200 men, it is unlikely that they all formed
one large wedge. Probably smaller unites
formed as wedges.
