There now exists a sort of folk history of the phalanx, in which the scanty information we have has been supplemented by guesses and assumptions that are often stated with more certainty than they really deserve. The purpose of this article is to point out a few of these myths, though it will not be possible in these pages to provide complete refutations of every myth mentioned. In fact, it may also be that some of the myths are true, or are based on the truth, as myths often are. This article is intended rather to warn the reader that not everything we think we know about the phalanx is based on firm foundations.
Long sarissa, short sarissa
The sarissa was the great Macedonian two-handed spear or pike that gave the Macedonian phalanx its unique character. The exact dimensions of this weapon are open to debate. We have a number of figures quoted in ancient sources, all of which date from after the time of Alexander, and it is unlikely that there was any standardisation across the three centuries that the sarissa was in use. All we can say for sure is that the sarissa varied from around five to seven metres long, and might even have been shorter in the reign of Alexander.
Many modern authors, however, claim that this length was achieved by making the in two parts, joined together by a metal ‘connecting tube’. This claim is based solely on the discovery of a single such tube in is pure speculation. It seems inherently unlikely that the was made in two parts. No other spear or pike in history has been made in this way, and there are obvious practical difficulties in making a weapon that had to be constructed before it could actually be used, or that could be literally pulled apart by an enemy. It is much more likely that the was made in the same way other pikes have always been made, from a single shaft of wood.
