Sarissa

The sarissa was a gigantic 16-20 foot long double pointed pike used in the phalanx of the celebrated Macedonian king, Alexander the Great. It was not, however, Alexander’s invention. The credit for the invention of the sarissa goes to Alexander’s father, Philip. The sarissa was excellent protection against charging cavalry, but it was ineffective at close range. He drilled his hitherto demoralized men to use these formidable pikes with two hands. The new tactic was unstoppable, and by the end of Philip’s reign the previously fragile Macedonian kingdom controlled the whole of Greece, Epirus and Thrace. His son Alexander used the new tactic across Asia, conquering Egypt, Persia and the Pauravas (NW India), victorious all the way. The sarissa-wielding phalanxes were vital in every battle, including the pivotal battle of Gaugamela where the Persian king’s vicious scythe chariots were utterly destroyed by the phalanx. The sarissa remained the backbone for every Hellenistic army until the rise of Rome.