Re-enactment of a Sarissa Charge

[davej]

Just for the military Historians:Alexander's tactics tested on Armidale field
Date 9/9/02 No 110/02A retired Classics lecturer and a group of students from the University of New England are helping to bring alive the world-conquering exploits of Alexander the Great for an international television audience.
Under the direction of Dr Minor Markle, an expert on ancient military technology, a group of 50 students from UNE's Duval College have performed the world's first re-enactment of an infantry charge using accurate replicas of one of Alexanders most effective weapons, the sarissa.
A documentary crew from NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Corporation) filmed the spear-wielding students as they charged across a paddock at Old Invergowrie Homestead near Armidale. The crew, from NHK's Special Division, is creating a series of television programs called Eurasian Odyssey.
"In this episode, we want to show viewers why Alexander's army was so strong, and how it could have defeated the great Persian army that had five times as many soldiers," said Mr Atsushi Ogaki, a senior producer for the series. "He was a tactical genius, and the sarissa is a good example of that. Everyone I talked to in Japan recommended Dr Markle as one of the leading authorities on the sarissa."
Dr Markle said the letter from NHK proposing the visit to Armidale and asking for his help had come as a complete surprise. "I was amazed when I discovered they'd read all the academic articles I've written on the sarissa," he said. Dr Markle, who retired from UNE in 1999, is now an Honorary Fellow in the University's School of Classics, History and Religion.

The sarissa is a long lance, varying in length from 4.5 to 5.5 metres and weighing 8 kg. "Because of its length it requires special handling," Dr Markle said. "On horseback, the rider grasped it in the middle to balance it. Its length gave Alexander's cavalry an advantage: they could strike the enemy while remaining out of their reach."
Back in the 1970s his research on the weapon led to trials of its use on horseback; the Armidale re-enactment, filmed by NHK, was the first trial of its use by infantrymen. "The trial confirmed all the things I suspected about it," Dr Markle said. "It would have required a lot of training, but it looked really formidable when the lances were lowered. The infantrymen would have needed horsemen to protect them to the rear and on the flanks."While most of the lances we

[marcus]

Dave,That sounds terribly exciting! I wonder whether they charged at any humans to gauge their reaction - to see whether they do indeed "run away incontinently"...Shame it's going on Japanese TV, really - it means much less chance of it reaching Western Europe!All the bestMarcus

[maciek]

And zero chance in east europe. But maybe they will make video tapes and sell them in amazon.com????Maciek with some hope.

[Karl]

50 men diveded by 16, roughly a four man frotage; not so impressive Markle is to be complimenteed on his initiuaton of experimetal archaeology on the sarissa but having read his work I find it explktive and the cavalry used the xyston anyway! The prodromoi/sarrissophoroi thing I will leave until I'm sober(2010 maybe)! Markle sounds good but is not for a feel of , admittedly hoplite warfare try V D Hanson @the western Way of War@ it impressed me and were I not Agesilaos I should be Diogenes

[DaveJ]

Karl,I have read Victor Davis Hansen a couple of Times. There are some glaring errors, such as his suggestion that the Greek Hoplite should have grounded their shields, to repeal the charge of the opposing army. Pompey Tried that trick against Caeser to disaterous effect. His best work is his oldest on Athenian Agriculture and warfare, I can't remember the name of the book.PS. I have jsut order photos of the Sarissa Charge. I am trying to get in contact with Markle as well, just to hav a chat. He is a nice guy.

[agesilaos]

I don' recall that passage unless it was about the period before an engagement, I seem to recall Chabrias facing off a Spartan mora with shields grounded in Plutarch or maybe Nepos.Idid not mean to sound so antiMarkle either curse of Dionysus, don't-cha-know I will have to dig his articles out and write an intelligent critique

[davej]

You can be as Anti-Markle as like if are that way inclined. I have a couple of issues with some of his work myself. I personally do not beleive that the infantry Sarissa played any part in Alexander's success. I think I am almost alone on that one. If anybody wants some justification I am willing to share my opinion. The concept that the Sarissa and Phalanx are interwoven is so ingrained that the PEnguin translation of Alexander's life states Sarissa instead of Phalanx at the battle of Charonaea.Ps. For anybody who believes that Cleitus was killed by a Sarissa stap three broom sticks together then try to stab somebody with it. you will find that unless they are in the broom closest you got the sticks from it is impossible. The turning arc is to great to weild a lethal blow.

[wmp]

Dave, appropo your comment about the broom
handles - I used to use a six and a half foot
spear (leaf-bladed, ash haft, not weighted at the
butt & used one handed as the shield was in
other hand) and even something that short was
a pain when you were faced with a swordsman! enjoy....
wmp

[agesilaos]

But would a swordsman face up three hundred or so spearmen bearing down on him and his mates with a guaranteed first strike before a hefty sheild crashes into his ribs? Spears and sarisai are necessarily mass weapons gien favourable ground even the legions were up against it when facing Pyrrhos' pikemen

[wmp]

Karl - you're right, sarissas (etc) are certainly the
best mass weapon (until gunpowder - but that's
another country...). My previous posting was
purely about one-on-one confrontations. (The
largest number of spearsmen I ever had to face
as a swordsman was 40 & that was bad
enough - so I can imagine my feelings if faced
with 300 wielding sarissas.... )
enjoy....
wmp

[davej]

I am afraid I have to disagree. All the research I did into Sarissas led me to the conclussion that it was an over rated and misunderstood weapon. I would have rated the Roman Pilum way above the Sarissa as the best weapon pre gun powder and then of course the long bow where does that sit. The Sarissa was a great solution for peltasts against which transformed into a budget solution to countering Hoplites which became a way of fighting until the Romans figured out not to run at it but run around it and break it up. The pilum won out at Pydna and Kynoskafalai.