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The sarissa or sarisa [note 1] was a long spear or pike about 5 to 7 meters (16 to 23 ft) in length. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in his Macedonian phalanxes as a replacement for the earlier dory , which was considerably shorter.
Drawing of a full 256-man phalanx formation. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) was an infantry formation developed by Philip II from the classical Greek phalanx, of which the main innovation was the use of the sarissa, a 6-metre pike.
They were armed with the sarissa, a long spear with a shaft made from flexible cornel wood, which had a much longer reach than the traditional hoplite spear. [2] Because of its length, the phalanx could present the spearpoints of around five files of men; which made the phalanx almost impenetrable, and fearsome to oppose.
This is a list of types of spears found worldwide throughout history. Used equally in melee and thrown ... Sarissa; Spetum; Spontoon; Trident; Glaive; Elsewhere.
The "phalangites" were armed with a much longer spear, the sarissa, and less heavily armoured. The sarissa was the pike used by the ancient Macedonian army. Its actual length is unknown, but apparently it was twice as long as the dory. This makes it at least 14 feet (4.3 m), but 18 feet (5.5 m) appears more likely.
The sarissa would have been useless in siege warfare and other combat situations requiring a less cumbersome weapon. [83] [84] Hypaspists and allied and mercenary Greek heavy infantry were equipped as classic hoplites and would have employed the hoplite spear and a sword. [85] Light troops were provided by a number of subject and allied peoples.
The Macedonian sarissa, spear and related armor en AJA 81, 1977. Markle III, M.M., Use of the sarissa by Philip and Alexander of Macedon en AJA 82, 1978. Markle III, M.M., Macedonian arms and tactics under Alexander the Great en B. Barr-Sharrar (ed.), Macedonia and Greece in late classical and early Hellenistic times, Washington, 1982. Marsden ...
Alexander’s Macedonian army had spears called sarissas that were 18 feet long, far longer than the 6–9 foot Greek dory. The secondary weapon of a hoplite was the xiphos , a short sword used when the soldier's spear was broken or lost while fighting.