The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paullus Scipio]

Paralus wrote:

Just back to the source material here...

Well, as we have seen, the literature is not conclusive. I would rather get back to the subject matter of this thread, rather than debate snippets of fragmentary sources. Many scholars have debated on the relative merits of Phylarchus,Theopompus and Anaximenes without any consensus emerging.One could debate in detail Paralus' post here, but since I expect the readership's eyes are 'glazing over', I won't, save for a brief comment...... D lol:

The notice is merely “Alexander”; Alexander II is your supposition. The fragment – taken as written – claims that the entire re-organisation of the Macedonian military (including teaching the Macedonian nobility to ride) was accomplished by a single “Alexander”. That such was achieved by the single monarch is rather reminiscent of the Spartans according every constitutional / social reform to “Lycurgus”.

Brunt (Anaximenes and King Alexander I of Macedon) writes the following:

Nor for the very same reason can Anaximenes have alluded to Alexander II, who in any case reigned barely a year, and to whom any great military reorganisation cannot plausibly be ascribed.


With which I’d agree...........................It is not at all plausible that any single man taught the Macedonians ??????? (to ride horseback) or devised the whole of the later Macedonian military system.

To begin with, it is not merely my supposition at all, but the opinion of others too. Alexander II, the elder brother of Philip, who reigned less than two years, is the only realistic candidate for reasons I set out in an earlier post. It is not necessary to suppose, like Brunt, that the process was complete under AlexanderII - his short reign, less than two years, was plenty of time to get the process under way, to be completed by Philip, who got most of the credit.
" ???????" is not 'to ride on horseback' but rather it is a noun, 'the riding of horses/horsemanship." (Slater) Bear in mind this is a fragment, taken out of context....so that Anaximines words could well indicate that he 'regularised' or 'professionalised' what had formerly been a gathering of noble horsemen for a campaign into proper cavalry, whose members were much more professional....to be named 'Hetairoi'.

Anyway, that's more than enough about the literature !! hock:

Instead of leaping about - from Philip's "reforms" to the Successors, let us get back on track, and begin by describing the Macedonian 'army' before Alexander II/Philip's reforms..... hopefully the subject of my next post, if we don't digress further !! :wink: :lol: