A Comparative Analysis: Macedonian Army Before and After Philip II

This essay analyzes the transformation of the Macedonian army, focusing on the reforms implemented by King Philip II. Before Philip II's reign, the Macedonian army was relatively weak, composed primarily of poorly equipped peasants and lacking formal training, making them vulnerable to neighboring forces. Philip II, after observing Greek military tactics, revolutionized the army by introducing new equipment, such as the Sarissa, and rigorous training programs. He also reorganized the army's structure, incorporating elite units like the Pezhetairoi and refining battle tactics. The essay highlights the significant changes in weaponry, armor, and strategic alignment that propelled the Macedonian army to become one of the most formidable military forces in the ancient world, contrasting its previous state of weakness with its newfound strength and dominance.

Running head: HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
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1HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
The Macedonian army is considered to be one of the greatest and best military forces
of the ancient world. The Macedonian army was not always great and skilled. Macedonia was
an ideal region for people due to its geographical factors as it consisted of rivers, mountains,
essential raw materials were found here which attracted many kings to try and invade
Macedonia (Worthington, 2014). ). During 359 B.C the kingdom of Macedonia was lying on
the brink of destruction, it was defeated and people of Macedonia were in despair. The need
for a strong ruler and an army was desperately needed during this time. This essay talks about
the changes that the Macedonian army went after the reign of King Philip II that made them
the best military force in the ancient time.
The army of Macedonia before the reign of King Philip II 9was not strong and lacked
vision. The neighbours of Macedonia were very strong and it was very difficult for the army
to compete with its neighbours. The army of Macedonia mostly comprised of the peasant
class. These people were not very strong. These foot soldiers were not well equipped and
were given no formal training. They were no match to the superior infantry of their
neighbours like the Illyrians. The Macedonian army also consisted of elite unit armed in the
Greek hoplites fashion that were few and outclassed by the Illyrian counterpart. After 359
B.C Macedonia became weaker and another invasion seemed evident. During this time, King
Philip II took to the throne and made a revolutionary change in the army of Macedonia
(Chrimatopoulos, 2018).
King Philip II was the 18th king of the kingdom of Macedonia. King Philip II came to
the throne after his elder brothers Alexander II and Perdiccass III were unsuccessful in
protecting the kingdom. Philip spent his time as a hostage at the leading city of that decade,
Thebes. Here he observed Greek generals who were inventive and tactician in their approach
in moulding their army to make them powerful (Greenwalt, 2015). When King Philip II came
into power, he realised that the Macedonian infantry was in need of a change. Remembering

2HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
the Theban and Athenian reforms Philip recruited about 4000 Macedonian levy’s and
equipped them to a radically new style of fighting. The new Macedonian army was an
amalgamation of various forces (Müller, 2018). As King Philip II spent much of his time as a
hostage where he observed Greek generals whose reform formed the basis of Philip’s new
tactics. King Philip II not only changed the strategy and the method of fighting, he
contributed a lot on the attire and equipment. He introduced new armour to them with Greek
light Panapili that helped them to protect themselves from the attack, which looks like a
shield. He made each soldier wear a bronze helmet, tall boots and a tunic. He introduced the
soldiers to a much lighter armour compared to the ones they used before that helped them in
mobility and flexibility. A new weapon that was called the Sarissa compensated the armour.
The Sarissa was 4.6m long and was made of Cornel wood which was the best quality wood
available at Greek at that time. The one end of the Sarissa was pointed and sharp, made of
iron and bronze. It was designed specially to penetrate through enemy’s body (Thomas,
2017). King Philip II made the Macedonian army go through rigorous training. He made sure
that they go to long marches and even made them run with their equipment’s to make sure
they get used to it, be stronger and practice to become perfect. During this time, the infantry
did not only consist of the peasants, also of the farmers, artisan and other people. There were
special set of people knows as the Pezhetairoi also known as the Foot Companions were
selected on the basis of their strength and size. They were the distinctive infantry guard of the
king himself. King Philip not only introduced them to new equipment’s and clothing he also
made changes in the alignment of the army in the battle field. He made sure which army
should enter the battle from which side and strategize on how the Sarissa is to be held to
ensure the defeat of their enemies. During this time, the Macedonian army shattered the
Illyrians. This was the first time in years they outclassed their neighbours (Sekunda, 2010).

3HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
King Philip II had invested a lot of time to develop the Macedonian army. He
equipped and trained his army in the new revolutionized system of warfare. The change
brought by King Philip II was revolutionary as well as necessary. The strong army led in
expansion. The armies went through a change from being unequipped and unskilled to
skilled, equipped and confident. He paved way for victory for the Macedonians and set a high
standard for the Macedonian army making them one of the most noteworthy in the history.

4HISTORY OF THE MACEDONIAN ARMY
References
Chrimatopoulos, V. (2018). Macedonia & the Macedonians via the Sources: in the Classical
Period.
Greenwalt, W. (2015). INFANTRY AND THE EVOLUTION OF ARGEAD
MACEDONIA. Greece, Macedon and Persia, 41.
Müller, S. (2018). The Reception of Alexander’s Father Philip II of Macedon. In Brill's
Companion to the Reception of Alexander the Great (pp. 72-95). BRILL.
Sekunda, N. V. (2010). the Macedonian army. A companion to ancient Macedonia, 446-471.
Thomas, N. (2017). The Military Genius of Philip II of Macedon.
Worthington, I. (2014). By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of
the Macedonian Empire. Ancient Warfare and Civilizati.