The army of Alexander the great

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to be an examination of the army of Alexander the Great, concentrating upon questions of organization and equipment. Chapter 1 considers the Macedonian heavy infantry, the pezhetairoi. Chapter 2 is an examination of the hypaspists, the elite heavy infantry units of the Macedonian order of battle. Chapter 3 is a discussion of the Macedonian cavalry. This includes the prodromoi as well as the more famous Companion cavalry. Chapter 4 concentrates on the Thessalian cavalry. Chapter 5 contains a discussion of the mercenaries and allied troops employed by Alexander. Chapter 6 considers Alexander's Mediterranean fleets. Chapter 7 is an examination of the siege equipment used by Alexander, particularly during siege warfare but also during field operations on occasion. Chapter 8 is a summing up of the overall command structure of the army. The conclusion reached is that Alexander's army was an extremely complex organization with individual elements specifically trained an equipped to perform specific tasks.