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Mithradates’ foot soldiers at the Battle of chaeronea 385
formation introduced by philip II, it is also used in relation to any body of
heavy infantry, like the roman legionaries. 17 therefore, it is necessary to
find additional evidence for the character of pontic heavy infantrymen.
luckily, the evidence is available and it points to their equipment being
of standard Macedonian type. Archaeology has an important contribution
in this respect, by the discovery of a shield of Macedonian type bearing the
inscription “of king pharnakes”. 18 this discovery places the shield firmly
within pontic context, as pharnakes was one of the royal names used by the
Mithradatids.
the battle of Chaeronea affords further evidence. thus, after describing
the initial phases of the conflict, which involved manoeuvres by the chariots
at the centre and by cavalry and light infantry on the flanks, plutarch goes
on to what he considers to be the heart of the battle – the clash of the heavy
infantry. While the romans were using their well-known equipment and
formation, the pontics behaved like typical Macedonian phalangites. thus,
they used the long Macedonian pike, the σάρισα 19 and adopted one of the
specific tactics: the συνασπισμός, 20 the formation in which soldiers stand
almost shoulder to shoulder, striving to maintain at all cost a solid formation.
the pontic army seems to have adopted not only the equipment
specific to the Macedonians, but also the honorific names for at least part
of their detachments. thus, besides the regular phalangites, there existed
a detachment of the “Brazen shields”, the Χαλκάσπιδες, who seem to be
an elite detachment, given that they receive particularly important and
dangerous missions, such as occupying key positions in the face of the
enemy 21 or that, on the battlefield of Chaeronea, they are placed on the
honorary right flank (plut., Sulla, 19). Moreover, their status must have
been immediately visible in their appearance (either gear or standards), for
they are immediately recognised by their enemies – Sulla at parapotamoi
and Murena at Chaeronea.
17 heavy infantry in general: App., Bellum Hannibalicum, 87; roman legions: App.,
Bellum Celticum, 1.9; etc.
18 Cf. BERNARD, 1993.
19 “τῶν μὲν βαρβάρων προβαλλομένων τὰς σαρίσας μακρὰς καὶ πειρωμένων τῷ
συνασπισμῷ τὴν φάλαγγα διατηρεῖν ἐν τάξει” (plut., Sull., 18.4).
20 this is by no means a singular occurrence: it is the same formation, described as
“συντεταγμένη φάλαγξ καὶ ὡπλισμένη καλῶς” that carries the day in front of the barbarian
palakos, in Crimea (StrABon, Geographika, 7.3.17).
21 “δείξας αὐτοῖς τὴν πρότερον μὲν γενομένην ἀκρόπολιν τῶν Παραποταμίων,
τότε δὲ ἀνῃρημένης τῆς πόλεως λόφος ἐλείπετο πετρώδης καὶ περίκρημνος […]
συνεκτραχυνόμενος ὀχυρὰν ἐνστρατοπεδεῦσαι τὴν ἄκραν ποιεῖ. διὸ καὶ τοὺς χαλκάσπιδας
ὁρῶν τῶν πολεμίων ὠθουμένους ἐπ' αὐτὴν ὁ Σύλλας ἐβούλετο φθῆναι καταλαβὼν τὸν
τόπον” (plut., Sull., 16.6-7).