The "Fred thread": the Argead Macedonian Army

[Paralus]

Welcome back Fred!

Thanks much for the linguistic clarification! It is, indeed, likely that the 'foremost' troops under Eumenes were the Silver Shields (assuming, of course, that 'foremost' is being used to denote 'outstanding in ability' rather than those who just happened to be 'standing near the front' of the gathering).

The entire passage is an excursus by Plutarch to incriminate the “leading Macedonians” who are accepting gifts from their corruptors. The tradition that Plutarch follows is vehemently condemnatory of both the Silver Shields and their leaders. The line involved describes their fickleness and Eumenes, having himself conveyed to them by litter, deliberately channels Alexander’s waving to his hypaspists in India where the exact same result is recorded. This is yet another indicator that the Silver Shields were Alexander’s superannuated hypaspists and the “foremost” Macedonians are better translated as “most important”.

A close reading of Diodorus quickly demonstrates that Eumenes’ army was not long on Macedonians. The Macedonians described are always those with Antigenes – the Silver Shields – and it is these that Peucestas, Seleucus, Peithon, Antigonus and Ptolemey attempt to influence. These are the “foremost” Macedonians.

Many have reasonably proposed that such elites were cross-trained with both dory and sarissa (as well as longache), employing whichever instrument would serve best in any given situation.

With which I’d agree. Whether dory or longche assaults up city fortifications and pursuits were certainly carried out sans sarissa I’d think. Again, here, “aspidas” is most certainly a “shield is a shield is a shield” – whether of 66cm or a 75 - 80 odd cm deeply bowled version.

Such “cross-training” finds tantalising support in the source material. In pursuit of rebels in Bactria, Curtius (8.2.35-36) tells us that the “young noblemen who formed his (Alexander’s) usual retinue had given up the chase”. All, that is, except for Philippos, the brother of Lysimachus “who was in the early stages of manhood”. This fellow is not on horseback because he “kept up with the king on foot”. He is not a paides basilikoi and so is near certainly a member “royal hypaspists” or the noble agema of the hypaspists.

In the pursuit of Darius Alexander, realising that his infantry will not keep up with him, dismounted some 500 cavalrymen and mounted “the toughest and fittest officers of his infantry”. These, as the preceding and following text makes plain, can only be hypaspists (and possibly Agrianians). Again it is likely they were of the king’s “usual retinue” or the agema of the hypaspists (“Nicanor, the commander of the hypaspists”, is ordered to follow with those of his “men who were left behind” Arr. 3.21.6-8).

I would propose that if facing sarissa-armed opposition, especially in the age of extremely long pikes being discussed here, then sarissai would most likely be employed. If going against barbarian or hoplite opponents susceptable to othismos, as had universally been the case under Philip II and Alexander, then a dory and aspis makes much more sense.

There are any number of assumptions in that!

I know of no evidence for “extremely long pikes” in the period immediately following Alexander’s death. It is far more likely, given the Diadochoi predilection for following and emulating Alexander (hypaspists, cavalry agemata, royal boys etc), that they’d altered little if anything during these first Successor squabbles and wars. The tactics they use are a straight lift and so, almost certainly, are the weapons and armies.

I do not see any reason for Macedonian arrays to adopt hoplite arms simply in pursuit of the storied othismos. Plutarch is as clear as a bell that the premier hoplite infantry of the day (the Sacred Band) died facing the sarissae of the Macedonians. Polybius, quoting and rabidly attacking Callisthenes, rubbishes the latter’s claim that the Macedonian phalanx, sarissae and all, crossed the battlefield of Issos – including a river. Here they fought a life and death struggle with professional Greek mercenary hoplites. The same might be said of Hydaspes where the Macedonians are clearly portrayed using the sarissa against wicker shielded barabaroi clearly susceptible to othismos.

Far too much is made of the fabled othismos in this respect.

The Silver Shields were armed with sarissae at Gabiene and there is no reason to think they adopted this for that battle alone or only after Alexander’s death.