Bret Devereaux Twitterissä: "Oh, as an addendum, I should add that our sources seem pretty clear that there was some zone for variability with sarisa length. Probably not a lot, but some wiggle room. Also, the difference between Theophrastus and Polybius is often taken to indicate that these weapons..."

Maa	Koodi	Asiakkaille yrityksessä
Yhdysvallat	40404	(mikä tahansa)
Kanada	21212	(mikä tahansa)
Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta	86444	Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
Brasilia	40404	Nextel, TIM
Haiti	40404	Digicel, Voila
Irlanti	51210	Vodafone, O2
Intia	53000	Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
Indonesia	89887	AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
Italia	4880804	Wind
3424486444	Vodafone
» Näytä muiden maiden lyhytnumerot tekstiviesteille

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

So in practice a two-part sarisa isn't impossible, but there is also basically no evidence for it. We have a tube of unknown purpose which might have been involved. The problem here is that many for-the-public reconstructions present the tube as 'known' when it isn't. 26/31

2 vastausta 0 uudelleentwiittausta 24 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

By the by, the major problem with the 'short' sarisa as proposed is that Polybius is explicit (Plb. 18.29) that the front five men can bring their weapons into action. He's also explicit about the same each person takes up in line. 27/31

2 vastausta 0 uudelleentwiittausta 24 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

So, in very short that's how we know how long the sarisa was. The weight of its length was counter-balanced by the flanged butt at the back, along with tapering the wooden haft and using a *very* small and light tip. Which is how a lot of other pikes work so 28/31

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 34 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

I think here the argument from practicality must bear a lot of weight. C. Matthew (2016) argues that Polybius described formation is impossible to carry out, which is baffling given that P. Connolly (2000) *did* carry it off with a renaissance pike troop; note dates. 29/31

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 32 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

So I keep coming back to the fact that the one thing we know about the sarisa is that it worked and presumably worked as described. 30/31

2 vastausta 0 uudelleentwiittausta 26 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

Finally, spelling note: you may see sarisa and also sarissa. Which is correct? Good news - even the Greeks didn't know and our sources spell it both ways. So it's up to you! I use sarisa because twitter is parsimonious with characters. 31/end (but see bibliography)

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 43 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

Bibliography time: the go to summary of the sources on the sarisa is Mixter, "The Length of the Macedonian Sarissa During the Reigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great" Ancient World 23 (1992): 21-29.

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 20 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

The best thing to read for reconstructing one is P. Connolly, "Experiments with the Sarissa" Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies 11 (2000): 102-112. There is a metric TON of other articles, but Connolly discusses them, so read him first.

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 24 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

On the possible non-existence of a cavalry sarisa, note N. Sekunda, "The Sarissa" Acta Universitatis Lodziensis 23 (2001): 13-41. Sekunda is also probably right that Connolly has the wrong wood and it should be ash, not cornel wood used.

1 vastaus 0 uudelleentwiittausta 22 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

There's a lot, a LOT more on the sarisa, but that's what you should actually read. At some point I hope to put together a comprehensive looks at Mediterranean arms and armor in the third and second centuries BCE, but that project is as yet still years away. Until then, cheers!

3 vastausta 0 uudelleentwiittausta 28 tykkäystä

Näytä tämä ketju

Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

Oh, as an addendum, I should add that our sources seem pretty clear that there was some zone for variability with sarisa length. Probably not a lot, but some wiggle room. Also, the difference between Theophrastus and Polybius is often taken to indicate that these weapons...

11.56 - 22. elok. 2021