Battle of Issus mosaic - Museo Archeologico Nazionale - Naples 2013-05-16 16-25-06 BW

The Companions ( el, , ''hetairoi'') were the elite cavalry of the Macedonian army from the time of king

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...

, achieving their greatest prestige under

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, and regarded as the first or among the first

shock cavalry Shock tactics, shock tactic or shock attack is the name of an offensive :wikt:maneuver, maneuver which attempts to place the enemy under psychological pressure by a rapid and fully-committed advance with the aim of causing their combatants to ret ...

used in Europe. Chosen Companions, or Hetairoi, formed the elite guard of the king ( Somatophylakes).

Etymology

The name of the military unit derives from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''Hetairoi'', those near the king. The Hetairoi (Companions) could be members of the Macedonian aristocracy or commoners of any origin who enjoyed the trust and friendship of the Macedonian regent. The

Hetairideia ''Hetaeridia'' or ''Hetairidia'' () was a name of a festival among Macedonians and Magnesians (Athenaeus XIII. 572, quoting Hegesander). The origin of the Thessalian ''Hetaeridia'' is said to be related to Jason, who sacrificed to Zeus ''Hetaer ...

, a festival pertaining to the sacred relationship which bound the king and his companions together was celebrated and even

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

, the famed Athenian playwright, was honoured as an ''hetairos'' of the king Archelaus. The Royal friends ( Philoi) or the king's Companions (basilikoi hetairoi) were named for life by the king among the Macedonian aristocracy.

Unit

Equipment

Companion cavalry would ride the best horses, and receive the best weaponry available. In Alexander's day, each carried a

xyston The xyston ( grc, ξυστόν "spear, javelin; pointed or spiked stick, goad (lit. 'shaved', a derivative of the verb ξύω "scrape, shave")), was a type of a long thrusting spear in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably hel ...

(long thrusting spear), and wore a bronze

muscle cuirass In classical antiquity, the muscle cuirass ( la, lorica musculata), anatomical cuirass, or heroic cuirass is a type of cuirass made to fit the wearer's torso and designed to mimic an idealized male human physique. It first appears in late Archaic ...

linothorax The linothorax (pronounced ; from the grc, λινοθώραξ ) is a type of upper body armor that was used throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. The term ''linothorax'' is a modern term based on the Greek , which means "wearing a breastpl ...

, shoulder guards and Boeotian helmets, but bore no shield. A

kopis The term kopis ( grc, Κόπις) in Ancient Greece could describe a heavy knife with a forward-curving blade, primarily used as a tool for cutting meat, for ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice, or refer to a single edged cutting or "cut and ...

(curved slashing sword) or xiphos (cut and thrust sword) was also carried for close combat, should the xyston be lost or broken.

Organization

The Companion cavalry was composed of the Hetairoi of the king, mainly upper class citizens who were able to acquire and maintain armour and horses. In the age of Philip II and Alexander they were organized into 8 territorial squadrons, termed ''ilai''. Each ''ile'' numbered between 200 and 300 horsemen. They were originally commanded by a single leader,

Philotas Philotas ( el, Φιλώτας; 365 BC – October 330 BC) was the eldest son of Parmenion, one of Alexander the Great's most experienced and talented generals. He rose to command the Companion Cavalry, but was accused of conspiring against Alex ...

under Alexander the Great, but following his execution would see the leadership split between two men,

Cleitus the Black Cleitus the Black ( grc-gre, Κλεῖτος ὁ μέλας; c. 375 BC – 328 BC), was an officer of the Macedonian army led by Alexander the Great. He saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC and was killed by him in a drun ...

and Hephaestion. Arrian claims this would be because, Alexander "did not want anyone, not even his intimate friend, to be the centre of attention". After receiving reinforcements in Susa, Alexander established two companies in each squadron. They were referred to by the name of the territory they were mustered in or by the name of its captain. The Royal Ile was commanded by Alexander himself and contained twice the number of soldiers the other units contained, c. 400.Lansdale 41 These cavalry squadrons would sometimes be combined in groups of two, three or four to form a ''hipparchy'', which was commanded by a ''hipparch'', though the whole Companion force was generally commanded by Alexander. In Alexander's Balkan campaigns, we find mention of Companions from upper Macedonia, the central Macedonian plain and

Amphipolis Amphipolis ( ell, Αμφίπολη, translit=Amfipoli; grc, Ἀμφίπολις, translit=Amphipolis) is a municipality in the Serres regional unit, Macedonia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is Rodolivos. It was an important ancient Gr ...

.Hammond 414 During the advance on Granicus, a squadron commanded by

Socrates of Macedon Socrates ( grc, Σωκράτης), son of Sathon was hipparch ''Hipparchus'', anglicized hipparch ( gr, ἵππαρχος, hipparchos), was the title of an ancient Greek cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', it ...

(not to be confused with the philosopher) hailed from Apollonia on Lake Bolbe.Hammond 416 During the

Battle of Issus The Battle of Issus (also Issos) occurred in southern Anatolia, on November 5, 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of ...

, Arrian names the ile of Anthemus (modern Galatista),; another, from the unidentified land of Leuge (likely Pieria), is also mentioned.Hammond 415 Theopompus describes the Companions, probably of around the mid 4th century BC, as being made of "no more than 800 at this time" and mustered "some from Macedonia, some from Thessaly and still others from the rest of Greece". By 338 BC, Alexander is reported to have had around 2600 in his Companion Cavalry. As Alexander's force campaigned towards India, barbarians played an increasing role in the Companion Cavalry and the Macedonian mutiny at

Opis Opis (Akkadian ''Upî'' or ''Upija''; grc, Ὦπις) was an ancient Babylonian city near the Tigris, not far from modern Baghdad. Akkadian and Greek texts indicate that it was located on the east side of the Tigris, near the Diyala River. T ...

may have been partially caused by this.Lansdale 56Arrian, Alexander's Anabasis VII.6 At one point, there were four ''hipparchies'' made up of entirely oriental forces and one that was a mix of Macedonians and orientals.

Tactics and use

The Companions constituted one of the first shock cavalry in history, able to conduct charges against massed infantry. Many contemporary cavalry, even when heavily armored, would most usually be equipped with javelins and would avoid melee. In this respect, Companions were similar to the older Iranian heavy cavalry who were armed with lances and also engaged in melee combat. In battle, it would form part of a

hammer and anvil The hammer and anvil is a military tactic involving the use of two primary forces, one to pin down an enemy, and the other to smash or defeat the opponent with an encirclement maneuver. It may involve a frontal assault by one part of the force, p ...

tactic: the Companion cavalry would be used as a hammer, in conjunction with the

Macedonian phalanx The Macedonian phalanx ( gr, Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) was an infantry formation developed by Philip II from the classical Greek phalanx, of which the main innovation was the use of the sarissa, a 6 meter pike. It was famously commanded ...

-based

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

, which acted as their anvil. The

phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...

would pin the enemy in place, while the Companion cavalry would attack the enemy on the flank or from behind. In battle,

personally led the charge at the head of the royal squadron of the Companion cavalry, usually in a wedge formation. In a pitched battle, the Companions usually fought on the right wing of the Macedonian army, next to the shield-bearing guards, the

hypaspists A hypaspist ( el, Ὑπασπιστής "shield bearer" or "shield covered") is a squire, man at arms, or "shield carrier". In Homer, Deiphobos advances "" () or under cover of his shield. By the time of Herodotus (426 BC), the word had come ...

, who would guard the right flank of the phalanx. Other cavalry troops would protect the flanks of the Macedonian line during battle. Under Alexander's command, the Companions' role was decisive in most of his battles in Asia.

Legacy

Hellenistic kingdoms

The Companion cavalry of the Diadochoi (Alexandrian successor-states), were even more heavily equipped.

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

Companions were noted to have worn lighter, but not otherwise dissimilar, equipment to the

cataphract A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalryman that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. The English word derives from the Greek ' (plural: '), literally meaning "armored" or ...

s at the

Battle of Magnesia The Battle of Magnesia took place in either December 190 or January 189 BC. It was fought as part of the Roman–Seleucid War, pitting forces of the Roman Republic led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and the allied Kingdom of Pe ...

in 190 BC, which may have included partial horse armour and leg and arm protection. Ptolemaic Companions and

Antigonid The Antigonid dynasty (; grc-gre, Ἀντιγονίδαι) was a Hellenistic dynasty of Dorian Greek provenance, descended from Alexander the Great's general Antigonus I Monophthalmus ("the One-Eyed") that ruled mainly in Macedonia. History ...

Companions were also equipped with a large round '' aspis'' cavalry shield unlike the Companions of Phillip and Alexander. ‘Companions’ was a title not used by the Seleucids in its original sense. It was replaced with different and various grades of ‘King's Friends'. However, the title 'Companions' was kept as a regimental one. There was only one regiment or unit that held the title of Companions in the entire Hellenistic world though; the Antigonids and Ptolemies had different names for their elite cavalry regiments.

Eastern Roman Empire

The ''Hetaireia'' or ''Hetaeria'' was a corps of bodyguards during the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. Its name means "the Company", echoing the ancient Macedonian Companion cavalry. The imperial ''Hetaireia'' was composed chiefly of foreigners. They acted as part of the Byzantine imperial guard alongside the '' tagmata'' in the 9th–12th centuries.

References

Works cited

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in preview {{Ancient Greece topics Ancient Greek military terminology Military units and formations of the Hellenistic world Cavalry units and formations of Macedon Companion cavalry Military units and formations of ancient Greece