Lochags

[maciek]

HI companions!I have a question about lochags in Alex's army. I know that authors like Fuller and Bosworth when talking about army organisation they say that it is not known how numerouse was lochoi. But in Warrys Ancient armies is lochoi with 256 man which makes squere 16 on 16 it looks resonable but he gives no sources for that so how can he know that? Apart this I'm wondering how lochoi and taxis was commanded from first file or commander stood before the front of it. Well I need it to my book where I made picture with macedonian army organisation and.regards
Maciek M

[susan]

I read this on the sitehttp://www.macedonia.co.uk/mcic/bulletinandnew ... rgreat.asp
The cavalry was disposed into tactical units, called "ylas", the heavy infantry into "lochas" (each having 16 warriors) and "syntagmas" (composed of 16 lochas), whereas the light infantry was composed of 'chyliarias".
You could try contacting the author: Professor Ljubinka Basotova, Ph.D.
I'll try to get her email address and send it to you.Susan

[yiannis]

My understanding is that there're many varying opinions on the matter. The basis is that the Macedonian formation was the classic 8-men-deep but it later on this has changed to be as deep as 16 men.
According to Jones in "The art of war in the western world" the infantry units were divided in:
Tetrarchia (Platoon) - 64 men
Taxiarchia (Company) - 128 men
Syntagma (Battalion) - 256 men
Chiliarchia (Regiment- chilia means 1000) - 1024 menThe term Ili (plural = Iles or Ilai) was used for cavalry units. It translates to "squadron"(Most of these terms as Taxiarchia, Syntagma and Ili, are terms still in use in the modern Greek army)Asklepiodotos' infantry phalanx organisation is as follows: 16 men
lochos (formerly synomotia or dekania)
32
dilochia
64
tetrarchia
128
taxis
256
syntaxiarchia or syntagma
512
pentakosiarchia
1024
chiliarchia
2048
merarchia (formerly keras or telos)
4096
apotome
8192
keras or diphalangia
16384
phalangarchia. Maciek, I believe that this link is a very good description of the Macedonian army:
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/se/~luv20009/ ... Notes.html

[maciek]

"Curtius (5.2.3) says that at this time the Macedonians were reorganised from 'lochoi' of 500 men (the 'pentakosiarchia' of the Hellenistic manuals) to units of 1000 (a 'chiliarchia'), but he doesn't say which infantry were reorganised, or indeed if any of the infantry were (infantry are assumed as a 'lochoi' was normally if not exclusively used of infantry)". This is excerpt from that site which You posted. Well It looks that lochos was even larger 500 man. But honestly in my version of Curtius there is no name "lochos" inthis place...Regards
Maciek

[maciek]

Thanks Susan!I think she writes the same as Asclepiodotos. Well this is ok that the lochos had 16 man but I wonder why other sources are so much different.
I found few signs which shows that there was lochos (oi) in greater strengh then 16. That's why I (with help one of my friends) suspect that maybe "lochos" could be still 16 man unit but was named decas also. And there was plural form "lochoi" which could mean more lochoses - if 16 then it could be the same as syntagma or if 32 then pentakosiarchia.
That's theory but I think it can be real.Regards
Maciek