Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son ... - Historia Antigua

8
The Asthetairoi
Macedonia’s Hoplites
Edward M. Anson
S ince Brian Bosworth established that the references in Arrian’s
Anabasis to asthetairoi were not scribal errors for pezhetairoi (foot
companions), 1 the discussion has centered on the origin of the name
and the nature of these troops. Clearly they were heavily armed Macedonians
and infantry “companions,” but little broader agreement has
emerged. This paper contends that the name derives from a difference
in armament.
While the core of the Macedonian infantry was composed of those
bearing pikes, sarisai, 2 modifi ed hoplite armament was an important
component of both Philip’s and Alexander’s Macedonian infantry.
This was the conclusion drawn by Minor Markle in a series of articles.
3 As Markle points out, hoplite shields are often depicted in
tomb paintings and on monumental works. Hoplite shields and
spears are seen on a frieze from the Agios Athanasios tomb 4 and a
hoplite shield is found on the facade of the Tomb of Judgment. 5 The
so-called Alexander sarcophagus depicts Macedonians, wearing
Macedonian helmets and carrying hoplite shields, 6 as does the Monument
of Aemilius Paullus at Delphi. 7 In these last two examples the
underside of a shield is exposed, revealing a central ring and a hand
grip near the rim. 8 Numerous coins from the period also depict hoplite
shields, identifi ed by their offset rims. 9 Highly suggestive are a
couple of Macedonian tetradrachmas dated 325–300 B.C. and 323
B.C.–315 B.C., respectively, showing on the fi rst a hoplite shield with
an AΣ on its face, 10 and on the second, a small rimless sarisa shield
with the letter Π in the center. 11 These depictions have led at least
one commentator to suggest that the typical Macedonian sarisa shield
was larger than generally thought. 12 However, the Shield Monument
at Beroea, whose importance was highlighted by Markle, and dated
by that scholar to the reign of Pyrrhus, presents both types of shields—
the standard hoplite and the smaller shield traditionally associated
with sarisa bearers (Asclep. 5.1). 13 While the marble blocks are now
part of the remains of a tower from the old city wall, they were originally
the base for a monument. Even though the reconstruction of the
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