Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

150 THE CAVALRY.Philip introduced the strictest discipline. Punishmentswere summary.In 338 b. c, two officers of high rank werecashiered for introducing a female lute-player into campagainst standing orders. This exclusion of women was notcommon, however, in ancient armies, nor could it be continuedby Alexander when in the East.Alexander employed more cavalry than any one up to hisday, and handled it better. No one has ever surpassed hiscavalry tactics.Epaminondas had but one tenth of his forcemounted. Alexander had one sixth to one quarter. This hefound essential in order to cope with the great and admirableforce of cavalry in the Persian army. For cavalry was thechoice arm of the Asiatics, and it was very skillful.The cavalry, as a rule, was composed of Macedonians andThessalians, who were heavy horse, and Thracians and ^tolians,who were light horse.Its unit wasthe lie, or company of sixty-four men, inODflOflOOQflQOQQflOQ sixteen files, four deep, which was theCOQOQOOOOOQOODQQ . , '. ^i 5•.^ -i-QQQQOOQOOOOQOQQO equivalent of the syntagma ; eight liesQ Q Q Q Q D^ere a hipparchy, under a hipparch, who"^ranked with a strategos two hipparchies;°^(dls7order)^*''^^an ephipparchy, the equivalent of thesmall phalanx ; two ephipparchies a wing, the equivalent ofthe double phalanx. When sixty-four ile or two wings wereOOOOOOOOff« oe o o oDeep Square. Thracian Wedge. Reverse Wedge.together, they formed an epitagma of four thousand andninety-six men, which was the allowance for the grand pha-