Bret Devereaux Twitterissä: "In any case, the sarisa-bits we have ought to match the earlier, slightly smaller one, since the royal tombs at Aigai are mostly late classical (the tomb the sarisa bits are associated with may actually BE the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander)."

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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...

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Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

...got a little longer over time, as the extra length was valuable in the post-Alexander landscape where the sarisa-phalanx was mostly fighting *other* sarisa-phalanxes. That's a tempting theory and could be right - but note how thin the evidence it is perched on it.

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Bret Devereaux‏ @BretDevereaux 22. elok.

In any case, the sarisa-bits we have ought to match the earlier, slightly smaller one, since the royal tombs at Aigai are mostly late classical (the tomb the sarisa bits are associated with may actually BE the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander).

11.56 - 22. elok. 2021