conventional sword used by the Greek soldier of his time, he recommended the makhaira for cavalry. "I recommend a kopis rather than a xiphos, because from the height of a horse's back the cut of a machaira will serve you better than the thrust of a xiphos." (Xenophon, 12:11). Archeological evidence suggests that the makhaira was more predominant in areas that were not so focused on using the phalanx, and instead focused more on cavalry. His reasoning concurs with the general practice of arming cavalry with cutting swords through the ages. Greek art along with Xenophon's further commentary suggests that the sword he intended for the cavalry was wider than the more modern sabre; more akin to the falchion or even machete. See also Falcata Kopis Sica Xiphos Kukri Sword classification is not always exact and can change over time and between cultures. Machaerus (Maccabees' Military Outpost) Animals There are examples of animals that have makhaira or machaira in their names. Machairoceratops Machairasaurus Machairodontinae Makhaira Makaira References Bibliography Gordon, D.H. (1958) Scimitars, Sabres and Falchions.in Man, Vol 58, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Liddell & Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th edition, 1996. Xenophon, On Horsemanship. F. Quesada, Machaira, kopis, falcata= https://web.archive.org/web/20090219135233/http://www.ffil.uam.es/equus/warmas/online/machairakopisfalcata.pdf Ancient European swords Single-edged swords Ancient Greek military terminology Ancient Greek military equipment New Testament Greek words and phrases