The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paralus]

We can reasonably assume the words "outos toi egô ho Kleitos, ô Alexandre" were also in Aristobulos' account, but I'm not so sure about the last sentence introduced by "kai". That one can be Arrian's own wording as well, ending this digression and resuming his own narrative. But in this case we no longer have the sarissa mentioned by Aristobulos, and that is either Arrian's own interpretation or it comes from a source which we can't identify (and it can be also Aristobulos, only that we have no hints it is actually so).

I also have noticed Aristobulos calls the guard a sômatophulax. If we check the two versions of the story presented in the beginning of this passage and we consider the wording is supposed to make a difference, it seems then the weapon was a logchê.

Hi Rumo,

"kai" is here used in its everyday function of a conjunction. The "free" English translation begins a new sentence here though there is no reason for doing so. It likely reads as "here I am, Cleitus!" and thereupon he was struck..." All the words from “all the fault” to “struck with a sarissa” were from Aristoboulos unless Arrian entirely messed up his Greek grammar.

In any case, even were it not Aristobulos' testimony there is no compelling need to assume it is some later writer and even less that Arrian would alter dory or longche for sarisa. Arrian dismisses much of the later works on Alexander and tells us that his method is to follow the sources (primarily the two) ostensibly weighing up the evidence before reporting. It is why he wrote the book - to counter the later and, in his view, misinformed works in circulation.

My cut and paste left out a little of the line. It is not Aristobulos refering to a somatophylax rather "some".

The discussion involving the guard here has, indeed, gone on for some. A few last points.

Alexander clearly calls out to his hypaspists and there is, as Hammond observes, no point to this unless they are within earshot. Alexander is being held by his somatophylakes to stop him in his rage and the hypaspists, taking the cue, do not respond. It is at this stage, in Curtius, he has a trumpet sounded to call out the men under arms. At this stage he bemoans that he is reduced to Darius' fate as his guards will not respond and he is betrayed.

The translation of "ordinary" guard is misleading. The words are ton phylakon and indicate a guard not of the somatophylakes or paides basilikoi. Hence modern commentators agree that this guard was of the other corps deputed to guard the king - the hypaspists. This guard is reached via the "vestubule: in Curtius and Alexander waits at the exit door with the sarisa. Hammond (The Various Guards of Philip II and Alexander III) sums it up:

The Guards(ton phylakon) were armed with pikes (sarissai). When Alexander was disarmed by two Bodyguards, he appealed to these soldiers' loyalty (Curt.8.1.47, militum fidem implorans), and he issued an order to the trumpeter [...] I shall call them the King's Personal Guards, which is one meaning of doryphoroi.

As an aside, Arrian has Alexander assault the wall breach at Tyre with the hypaspists (the royal hypaspists) and says so in his description of Alexander being with them on the ship with its gangway. When he takes the breach in the wall it is with his hetairoi. Clearly they are the hypaspists and no one suggests members of the cavalry.

Oh, dear, this just won't lay down and die will it?

Yes, well, as I said this has likely been exhausted and whilst I commenced the thread to discuss the army of Philip and Alexander I shall leave it to yourself as to which direction this thread should take.