The Macedonian Army Aim: to understand how the Macedonian army developed under Philip and Alexander. Using these images from a highly suspect source: How do you think the Greeks fought?

The Phalanx A Phalanx was a body of Soldiers called Hoplites. They would fight as a group. Military service was compulsory for all year old men. Greek states didn’t have large full time armies.

Task 1 On your copy of the Hoplite, find and label the features at the bottom. On the bottom image: Identify Hoplites fighting as a Phalanx (group). Show shields also protecting the man to the right of the carrier

Pro’s and cons Decide whether the following are good/ bad: Hoplites would provide their own equipment. A Phalanx was trained to work together as a group. The broad shield protected half of the man to the right. As the shields protected to the right, the left of the Phalanx was usually the weakest. Cities couldn’t fight at certain times of year e.g. harvest as soldiers also had other jobs.

The Macedonian Phalanx Philip (and Alexander) made changes the standard infantry approach. The biggest difference was…

Task 2 On your copy of the Macedonian Phalangite, find and label the features at the bottom. On the bottom image: Phalanx is at least 8 men deep Front 4 lines lowering their Sarissa Rear ranks holding their Sarissa’s in the air.

Obvious advantages? The Sarissa would break into 2 to be carried. It also had a counter balance to make it more steady.

Other improvements The Macedonian army was a full time army- not part time. They were the first army to have standardised equipment- not self provided. Light armour meant they could run in battle. Square formation mean there was no longer an emphasis on the right. The Kopis was an effective ‘hacking weapon’

The Macedonians were tough! Gold from the mines of Amphipolis allowed Philip and Alexander to pay their troops well and provide their weapons. Because this was a paid job, they could train the men harder than if they were volunteers. Look at source 1 (stick in). How do these points ‘toughen up’ the Macedonian army?

Not Just a Phalanx The Macedonian Army wasn’t just made up of Phalagites. Both Philip and Alexander preferred to use Cavalry to attack the enemy.

Homework Use the information sheep to add your own annotations/ explanations to the diagram of the Macedonian Army.

Plenary (4 mins) Briefly outline 2 reasons why the Macedonian army was superior to their rival Greek armies. [5 marks]