Macedonian Hypaspists 356 BC - 316 BC

The Hypaspists were an elite infantry unit of the Macedonian army during the time of Philip, Alexander the Great and the successors. Modern historians have put forward various theories about their equipment and the way they fought. Probably these theories are all correct. Because in some battles they were equipped with pikes and fought as heavy infantry, in other battles they were equipped with hoplon shields and fought as heavy hoplites infantry, at other times they were equipped with javelins and fought as peltasts while in the battles against the Persians they carried a hoplon shield but without body armour, they lined up as medium infantry and formed the link between the Companion Cavalry and the phalanx. The word hypaspist is of course Greek and means "one who carries a shield".

During Alexander's campaign in India they were equipped with silver shields and renamed Silvershields. They continued to fight in the succession wars equipped with pikes and silver shields. As a unit they were abolished in 316 B.C. by Antigonus the one-eyed after the battle of Gaviene, as Antigonus found it difficult to manage this unit of hardened veterans. Antigonus captured the silvershields' luggage after the battle. These had the spoils of war for 40 years.

The unit I built represents heavy infantry hoplites. I used figures from 3 different Hät sets, Macedonian Hypaspists, Theban army and Alexander's allied hoplites. The figures have undergone several changes with the most important being that the shields have all turned forward.

Biliography

Many thanks to George Dianelis
From his contribution