The Macedonian Army was a fighting force of exceptional and terrifying ferocity. Given the sometimes confusing accounts from ancient writers, historians can only deduce that the Somatophylakes or Bodyguards probably comprised a separate unit within the ancient Macedonian army. It was created and made formidable by King Philip II of Macedon; previously the army of Macedon had been of little account in the politics of the Greek world, and Macedonia had been regarded as a second-r One of the clues comes from the position of the Royal Bodyguard (Somatophylax Basilikos) – which was considered as the senior-most rank in the army. For example, Diodorus talked about how the king’s friends or philoi had sent around 50 of their sons to serve as bodyguards in the Macedonian army of Alexander. Collectively the Macedonians displayed a singular bloody-mindedness seldom exceeded by … Before the Macedonian army crossed the Hellespont, the mainstay of their infantry comprised the Pezhetairoi (or Foot Companions) – men who the formed up the dreaded ‘anvil’ of the Macedonian phalanx. To make matters worse, the Macedonian army was all but vanquished – with their earlier king and many of the hetairoi (king’s companions) meeting their gruesome deaths in a battle against the invading northern tribes. As had been anticipated, the Illyrians stretched their formation in order to bring the Macedonian left wing into action. This was a dramatic shift from earlier warfare, where Greek armies had lacked the ability to conduct an effective assault. Consequently, it can be assumed that they were similarly divided into eight squadrons (ilai), with the agema (vanguard) pertaining to the Pharsalian squadron – the Thessalian counterpart to the Royal Squadron (Basilike Ile) of the Hetairoi. The catapult was one of the most intimidating siege weapons. The army of the Kingdom of Macedonia was among the greatest military forces of the ancient world. Added to this mix were the mercenaries, most of whom hailed from the southern Greek realms and the neighboring Balkans. The name of a Macedonian officer on campaign with Alexander the Great (Arrian, Anabasis, Book II, 9 and Book III, 11, 14). As for their attire, the Thessalian horsemen probably wore their distinctive dark purple cloaks with white borders, while being armored in the similar white-hued cuirasses preferred by the Companions. The shield was of Thracian origin and was originally crescent-shaped, however, by the time of Macedonian greatness many depictions of peltai show them as being oval or round. Photo about Soldier in uniform of the Macedonian army, a member of the Guard. What we do know, however, is that Alexander specifically recruited a company of the renowned Cretan archers (toxotai), and they were known for carrying their bronze pelte (light shield) that also aided them in close-combat scenarios. On occasions, they possibly even functioned as the Hypaspists, the shield-bearers we will talk about later in the article. It was the birth of the citizen-warrior. [117], This article is about the army of the Kingdom of Macedonia under, An ancient fresco of Macedonian soldiers from the tomb of, The use of Asiatic soldiers under Alexander the Great, The Campaigns of Alexander, Arrian, VII.10, Campbell and Lawrence (ed.s), pp. Interestingly enough, Alexander also preferred his dedicated ‘department’ of chaplains. Equally, they meant that more men could be put on the walls in a shorter period of time, as simple ladders constrained the men attacking to moving up in single file, thus making the task of defending the walls far easier. 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