Macedonian Sarrisa

[Sean Manning]

As for diffrences between the army of Alexander and Hellenistic armies, it has to be taken into account that the Army of Alexander was not at any time more than half Macedonian. According to Diodorus the landing force of of Alexander had just 12.000 Macedonian infantry, and not all would be phalangite, so the phalanx in all made less than half the army´s infantry. The composition would be more similar in a Seleucid army, while in the army of Philip V most of the infantry was phalanx and the cavalry was rather weak. So, each army were different in composition and their phalanx units would have a different role.

Aryaman, can you recommend a book on the mechanics of late medieval and early modern pike combat? I have the impression that the early Swiss were rather less cautious, but maybe they were the exception.

The funny thing with Alexander's army is that he seems to have kept his Greek infantry out of the fighting wherever possible (they formed a second line at Gaugamela and were somewhere vague at his other battles). Apparently their main task was to provide garrisons and labour. The 16,000 or so Macedonians in his pike phalanx (following Luke Ueda-Sarson, although I think you are right that there are hints of a few lighter Macedonian troops that our historians mostly ignore) seem to have done most of his heavy infantry work.

...and they don't seem to have had any trouble forming in 'locked shields'. Did they say whether they were able to march in this formation? ( though of course the answer's going to be yes! )

If he tried it he didn't mention it. Glad to help!