Alexander the Great & Hellenistic Warfare Flashcards
(52 cards)
When did Alexander rise to the throne?
At the age of 20, when his father, Philip II of Macedon, was assassinated in 336 BC
What did Alexander do to solidify his power over Greece?
Crushed the Illyrians and Thebans, destroying Thebes in 335 BC
How did Alexander organize the Companion Cavalry?
Those who crossed into Asia Minor were reorganized in a Royal ila (squadron) and seven other ilai on a territorial basis
How many horsemen were in one Royal ile?
300 horsemen (regular ilai had 200 plus)
How did Companions fight?
With their ilai in an embolos
What was an embolos?
A delta shaped wedge formation that was invented by the Scythians and adopted by Philip II - this formation permitted rapid wheeling and withdrawal and was ideal for penetrating other cavalry formations
What were Companions armed with?
a Syrissa, the characteristic weapon of Macedonian cavalry and infantry
What importance did the phalanx play?
It was the iron core of the Macedon army
What types of soldiers fought in a phalanx?
Pezhetairoi and infantrymen,
Who were the pezhetairoi?
‘Foot companions’; tactical and political companions to the king
Who were part of Alexander’s expeditionary force?
12,000 infantrymen, companion cavalry, 9000 pezhetairoi, 3000 Hypaspists (the elite guard; ‘shield bearers’)
What was a taxis?
A basic tactical unit of the Pezhetairoi that was subdivided into smaller units
What was an Alexandrine lochos?
256 men, six lochos per taxis
How did Alexander have his order-of-battle organized?
Hypaspists and Pezhetairoi occupied the center, flanked by companion and Thessalian cavalry; they were all trained to cooperate in large-scale movements in oblique order
What was the tactical goal of companions in a battle?
To punch a hole in the enemy battle line and the phalanx would then exploit it, while the cavalry was covered in the flank and rear
What were phalangites armed with??
Heavy body armour, leather corselets, helmets, greaves, and knives as their secondary weapon
What were the Thessalian cavalry?
1,800 Thessalians followed Alexandr as Archon of the Thessalian League; he secured the position in succession to his father; the Thessalians were the finest cavalry in the army
What was the Prodromoi?
They were scouts, or Lancers (sarissophoroi), as they were armed with syrissas; they made up the light cavalry with two units of Alexander’s allies, the Paeonians and the Thracians; 600 strong Prodromoi fought in a small ilai of 150 horsemen
Who were Alexander’s Greek and Balkan Allied troops?
The Thracians/Odrysians (3,000 infantry) and the Illyrians (3,000 infantry) joined in 334 BC. 335 BC there was the Triballians (1,000 infantry), Paeonia (500 Agrinian javelin men, + 500 from Issus), and the Greek allies (League of Corinth) (7,000 infantry and 600 cavalry)
How many mercenary infantry soldiers did Alexander have?
5000 in the order-of-battle in 335 BC
How large was Alexander’s expeditionary force in 334 BC?
32,000 infantry and 5,100 cavalry; by Gaugamela in 331 BC this had grown to 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry
How small did Alexander keep his core army?
Though his numbers rose to 120,000 men when he subjugated Persia, his core army totalled only 23,000 foot soldiers and 8,000 cavalry at the Hydaspes in 326 BC
What was Alexander’s last great innovation?
He trained 30,000 young Persians in the use of the Macedonian equipment and tactics, and their incorporation into pre-existing Macedonian units
What happened at the Battle of the Granicus?
Spring 334 BC he crossed into Asia Minor via the Hellespont; he was confronted by the Arsites, Spithridates, and Arsames, and the Greek mercenary commander Memnon of Rhodes; Alexander deployed his army immediately
