Table of Contents
Did Alexander the Great use hoplites?
Greek hoplites The army led by Alexander the Great into the Persian Empire included Greek heavy infantry in the form of allied contingents provided by the League of Corinth and hired mercenaries.
What made the Macedonian phalanx different?
Usually measuring eight rows across and 16 ranks deep, the Macedonian phalanx was virtually unstoppable from the front. The extreme length of the sarissa meant that up to five layers of pikes protruded ahead of the front man – allowing the phalanx to steamroll any opponent.
What military formation did Alexander use?
Macedonian phalanx
The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and defeat armies of other kingdoms.
What made Alexander the Great Army so successful?
Professionalism. Ultimately, Alexander’s army represented a truly professional force, with an organised logistical corps, uniform equipment and frequent drill. Alexander’s men could form many different formations very quickly and were well trained.
What are success of Alexander?
Although king of ancient Macedonia for less than 13 years, Alexander the Great changed the course of history. One of the world’s greatest military generals, he created a vast empire that stretched from Macedonia to Egypt and from Greece to part of India. This allowed for Hellenistic culture to become widespread.
How did Alexander the Great sustain his army?
He sent messengers ahead of his army to meet the officials to secure arrangements for the army’s supply through their territory – on some occasions taking hostages to ensure the officials stuck to their side of the bargain. In such a manner, Alexander was able to have his supply lines secured far in advance.
How did the Hypaspists defend against the phalangites?
In set piece battles, the Macedonian Hypaspists were positioned on the flanks of the phalangite ‘s phalanx; in turn, their own flanks were protected by light infantry and cavalry. Their job was to guard the flanks of the large and unwieldy pike phalanx.
What does hypaspist mean in Greek?
A hypaspist ( Greek: Ὑπασπιστής “shield bearer” or “shield covered”) is a squire, man at arms, or “shield carrier”. In Homer, Deiphobos advances “ὑπασπίδια” or under cover of his shield. By the time of Herodotus (426 BC), the word had come to mean a high status soldier as is strongly suggested by Herodotus in one of the earliest known uses:
What was the actual fighting unit of the Hypaspists?
The actual fighting unit of hypaspists seems to have lived on in Macedonia as the corps of ‘ Peltasts ‘, whose status, equipment and role seems to have been almost exactly the same as that of the hypaspist under Philip.
Did Alexander the Great use a Phrygian helmet?
To that end, Alexander may have equipped many of his Hypaspistes in a manner similar to that of Greek hoplites, thus suggesting the usage of Phrygian helmets]