New Article on Reenacting a Macedonian Phalanx

[Justin Swanton]

Nicholas Sekunda in his recent talk on the Society of Ancients virtual conference maintained that the Vergina tomb weapons are ceremonial and that not only was the coupling sleeve not a coupling sleeve, but that the sarissa did not have a butt spike (the sauroter in the tomb according to him did not belong to a sarissa). In that case the phalangite would have had to hold the sarissa with the high guard like a Renaissance pikeman with his right hand pushing down the butt end since the sarissa's centre of gravity would have been well forward of his left hand's grip.

I agree that the proof for a coupling sleeve is very inconclusive, but it is likely the sarissa had some sort of sauroter since Arrian affirms 4 cubits, i.e. 6 feet, of sarissa projected back past the phalangite: not only would a sarissa with a sauroter have had its centre of gravity at the point where the phalangite gripped it in that case, but it would have been impossible for the phalangite to grip the end of the sarissa with his right hand as the butt was 6 feet away. The sarissa was a development of the dory which did have a butt spike. Notice that hoplites had no problem wielding dories with the high grip - butt spikes well behind them but not inconveniencing the hoplites in their rear. That means that phalangites would similarly have had no problem wielding sarissas with the high guard without the butt spikes inconveniencing the phalangites behind them.