How long was the sarrisa pike?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Alexander the Great Q&A Forum : One Thread

How long was the sarrisa pike. Was it 22ft 20ft 18ft 16ft, which one, if any?

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2004

Answers

The roman writer polybius tells us that they were between 22ft to 27ft so the first five ranks held their spears in front of the formation.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2004

what happened to what I typed between the "<>" ??? That came from The Nature of Alexander by Mary Renault.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2004

"Its solid centre was the infantry phalanx, a deep column (phalanx means finger) armed with the giant spear of his devising, the famous sarissa. Of graded length, those of the fourth-rank being at least 15 feet long, these pikes enabled four ranks at once to take the enemy at spear-point, making them virtually immune from all but missle weapons." <>

...take what you want from it...

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2004


Moderation questions? read the FAQ