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+--- Thread: Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi (/showthread.php?tid=13674)
Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi - PMBardunias - 09-25-2008
What is the first battle in which a phalanx of sarissaphoroi fought another phalanx of sarissaphoroi?
Re: Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi - hoplite14gr - 09-25-2008
Diadoxoi Wars.
If we asume that that the first who reblled aginat Perdikkas had garisson troops of psiloi and peltasts then those who faced Eumenes must have had the first pike vs pike
Kind regards
Re: Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi - Mythos_Ruler - 09-26-2008
edit: Nevermind.
Re: Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi - PMBardunias - 09-26-2008
I find it interesting that the tactics developed solely as a system against other tactical systems instead of as an arms race within the tactical system. Even if we accept an Iphicratid precursor, the system was always pitted against something other than itself. We don't see an army with 14' sarissa facing an army with 18' elongating their spears for example in the manner of a race to longer spears. This occurs rather late and perhaps in reverse if there is any truth to their being shorter sarissa in front ranks.
It is rare that tactical systems simply arise in advanced form from whole cloth.
Re: Sarissaphoroi vs Sarissaphoroi - Paralus - 09-29-2008
Interesting question. The Thracians utilised spears of some twelve feet in length. The kingdoms to the north of Macedon, during Philip's time, fielded hypaspists in foot defence of their kings. Sarisaed phalanx against sarisaed phalanx? On the whole, Stephanos is most likely correct.
Eumenes took down Neoptolemus and Craterus - mostly with his cavalry. He specifically avoided Macedonians v Macedonians. The campaign of Persis (over winter 317/6) saw the sarisa armed foot of both sides clash. At Paraetecene there seems to have been care traken to keep the silver shields and the Antigonid Macedonians from clashing. This was not the case at Gabiene. Although Diodorus, who has lost interest somewhat by then, does not give the full description of Antigonus' array it is clear from the major dispostions that it was the same as Paraetecene (he and Demetrius on the right, Pithon the left). Hence Eumenes, deciding to gamble all, arranged himself the reverse of the former battle: leading from the left followed by his hypaspists (near certainly native) and the silver shields - a total of six thousand troops. These faced the Macedonian end of Antigonus' phalanx who were not far short of 8,000 (Billow's reconstruction has the native hypaspists taking on the 8,000 odd Macedonians and the silver shields the Antigonid epigoni - unlikely)
Before this Antigonus, prior to locking up Eumenes at Nora, defeated him in Cappadoccia. Whether by a neat stratagem (Poly. 6.19) or bribery induced treachery (Diodorus, 18.40. 5-8) - this later being Antigonus' more 'usual' method - Diodorus (the more preferable) tells of a catastrophic defeat (8,000 dead from memory?) of the Eumenid infantry. No detail exists with respect to sarisa-armed foot facing each other. Ditto the campaign of Antigonus against Attalus, Alcetas, and Docimus in Psidia. This too resulted in the rout of the "Perdiccan" infantry. Gabiene, then, is likely the first attested such confrontation. The old heads prevailed in emphatic fashion.