of the front rank of men—even if an enemy got past the first row, there were still four more to stop him. The back rows bore their pikes angled upwards in readiness, which served the additional purpose of deflecting incoming arrows. The Macedonian phalanx was considered invulnerable from the front, except against another such phalanx; the only way it was generally defeated was by breaking its formation or outflanking it, such as how Romans were able to defeat the Macedonians in the Battle of Cynoscephalae. History of use The invention of the sarissa is credited to Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. Philip drilled his soldiers to use these pikes with two hands. By the end of Philip's reign the previously fragile northern Greek kingdom of Macedon controlled the whole of Greece and Thrace. Alexander used the sarissa armed phalanx in across Asia, conquering Egypt, Persia and the Pauravas (northwest India). The sarissa-wielding phalanxes were vital in every early battle, including the pivotal Battle of Gaugamela where the Persian king's scythe chariots were utterly destroyed by the phalanx, supported by the combined use of companion cavalry and peltasts (javelineers). During his later campaigning, Alexander gradually reduced the importance of the phalanx and the sarissa, as he modified his combined use of arms to incorporate Asian weapons and troops, not specifically trained in Macedonian battle tactics. The sarissa remained the core of Hellenistic, and especially Diadochi armies. See also Ancient Macedonian military Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC) Pole weapon Xyston Notes References External links Photos of Hoplite spear compared to Macedonian sarissa Personal weapons Ancient weapons Greek inventions Polearms Ancient Greek military terminology Ancient Macedonian military equipment