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

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

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), 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 (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, and regarded as the first or among the first shock cavalry used in Europe. Chosen Companions, or Hetairoi, formed the elite guard of the king (

Somatophylakes ''Somatophylakes'' (; singular: ''somatophylax'', σωματοφύλαξ) were the bodyguards of high-ranking people in ancient Greece. The most famous body of ''somatophylakes'' were those of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. They ...

Etymology

The name of the military unit derives from

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

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

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, 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 attributed ninety-five plays to ...

, 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 was composed of the most powerful (read: rich) nobles, and as such, had access to the best horses and equipment available. In Alexander's day, they mostly carried a

xyston The xyston ( "spear, javelin (weapon), javelin; pointed or spiked stick, goad), was a type of a long thrusting spear in ancient Greece. It measured about long and was probably held by the cavalryman with both hands. It had a wooden shaft and a sp ...

(long thrusting spear), and wore a bronze

muscle cuirass In classical antiquity, the muscle cuirass (), 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 Greece and became wi ...

linothorax The ''linothorax'' (, from the , ) 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 breastplate of linen"; a number of anc ...

, shoulder guards and Boeotian helmets, but bore no

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

. A kopis (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 under Alexander the Great, but following his execution would see the leadership split between two men, Cleitus the Black and

Hephaestion Hephaestion ( ''Hēphaistíōn''; c. 356 BC – 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman of probable "Attic or Ionian extraction" and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "by far the dearest ...

. 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.Hammond 414 During the advance on Granicus, a squadron commanded by Socrates of Macedon (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 5 November 333 BC between the League of Corinth, Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III of Persia, Darius III. It was the second g ...

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; ; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander, and philosopher of the Roman period. '' The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best source on the campaigns of ...

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

Macedonian phalanx The Macedonian phalanx () 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-metre pike. It was famously commanded by Philip's son Alexander the Grea ...

-based

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, which acted as their anvil. The

phalanx The phalanx (: phalanxes or phalanges) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar polearms tightly packed together. The term is particularly used t ...

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

cataphract A cataphract was a form of armoured heavy cavalry that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. Historically, the cataphract was a very heavily armoured horseman, with both the rider and ...

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 Roman consul, consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and the allied ...

in 190 BC, which may have included partial horse armour and leg and arm protection. Ptolemaic Companions and Antigonid 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 known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. 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 An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

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 * Military units and formations of ancient Greece Philip II of Macedon