Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/95

 COMPANION CAVALRY. g<> of the plialanx ; but it was long, if compared with the xyston or thrusting f ike used by the heavy cavah*y for the shock of close combat. Arrian, in describing the army of Alexander at Arbela, enumerates eight distinct squadrons of this heavy cavalry — or cavalry of the Companions ; but the total number included in the Macedonian army at Alexander's accession, is not known. Among the squadrons, several at least (if not all) were named after particular towns or districts of the country — Bottiaia, Ani- phipolis, ApoUonia, Anthemus, etc. ; ^ there was one or more, distinguished as the Royal Squadron — the Agema or leading body of cavalry — at the head of which Alexander generally charged, himself among the foremost of the actual combatants.^ The distribution of the cavalry mto squadrons was that which Alexander found at his accession ; but he altered it, Avhen he re- modelled the arrangements of his army (in 330 B. c.,) at Susa, so as to subdivide the squadron into two Lochi, and to estabUsh the Lochus for the elementary division of cavalry, as it had al- ways been of infantry.^ His reforms went thus to cut down the primary body of cavalry from the squadron to the half-squadron or Lochus, while they tended to bring the infantry together into larger bodies — from cohorts of 500 each to cohorts of 1000 men each. Ajnong the Hypaspists or Guards, also, we find an Agema or chosen cohort, which was called upon oftener than ,the rest to begin the fight. A still more select corps were, the Body- Guards ; a small company of tried and confidential men, individ- ' Arrian, i. 2, 8, 9 (where we also find mentioned Tovg e/c T;}f uvwtJev Ma- KsSoviac iTTTzmg), i. 12, 12; ii. 9,6; iii. 11, 12. About the tTnrEig aapt.aa6<popoi, see i. 13, 1. It is possible that there may have been sixteen squadrons of heavy cavalry, and eight squadrons of the Sarissophori, — each squadron from 180 to 250 men — as Riistowand Kochly conceive (p. 243). But there is no sufficient evidence to prove it ; nor can I think it safe to assume, as they do, that Alexander carried over with him to Asia just half of the Macedonian entire force. ' Arrian, iii. 11, 11 ; iii. 13, 1 ; iii. 18, 8. In the first of these passages, we have iAat (SaatXiKal in the plural (iii. 11, 12). It seems too that the diflfer ent lAai alternated with each other in the foremost position, or riye^iovii for particular days (Arrian, i. 14, 9). ' Arrian, iii. 16, 19.