After covering the recruitment and training
systems of some of the best ancient athletes and soldiers, it's finally time to cover the
famous ancient Macedonian army in its prime, at the time of the great reforms of King Philip
II and his successor, Alexander the great. Known for their astounding successes in taking over
Greece and the Achaemenid empire, the Macedonian military stood proudly unrivalled in the East for
centuries, until the arrival of Rome. The Greek historian Polybius claimed that the Macedonian
soldiers had nothing to envy from the Romans in terms of bravery, discipline, patriotism
and skill. A bold statement nonetheless. Although it was their infantry that was made
famous for its impenetrable phalanx formation, it was the Macedonian cavalry that represented
the peak of military education and training for its time, and long afterwards. So for the
first time on YouTube, the training and recruitment of both their infantry and
cavalry will be covered in this video… For recruiting their infantry, the Macedonians
had a very interesting system. All of Macedonia was broken up into several cantons, with each
being required by law to provide a set amount of soldiers for the king's army, depending
on their population. This came down to each household having to provide one eligible man
for military service. Specialised officers would then be responsible for selecting only
the best fit men to join the army, depending on both physical and mental qualities. All who
were unfit, drunkards, freedmen or tradesmen were excluded from the army. But even then, they
would have to choose from a wide range of men from different age groups and professions, including
farmers, herders, craftsmen, and labourers. But what all these men had in common was an inbuilt
social norm to uphold certain values. These were largely popularised in the form of stories,
songs, and literary works like Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey had a big influence on the minds
and characters of its citizens. For example, the former explicitly emphasises the qualities of
bravery, brotherhood and friendly competition, but also revenge, overconfidence and pride at the
expense of recklessness. These were all seen as the qualities of a perfect man, and many recruits
no doubt joined the army to emulate these very qualities. Even Alexander the Great was said
to have slept with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow, and was a big fan of Achillies. So
Macedonian recruiters could rest assured that the male population had the proper values and morals
for military service. Prospective recruits would then undergo rigorous physical tests to assess
their strength, endurance, and overall fitness, with only the most capable men being selected
for service. Upon recruitment, extensive training awaited the soldiers, which this time
focussed on the mastery of their weapons. Under the guidance of experienced instructors, many
of whom were community elected veterans, the recruits would be taught the discipline required
for the famous Macedonian phalanx formation. Apart from this, they would periodically
train in local gymnasiums in a variety of disciplines. They would not only workout but
practice using javelins, slingshots, bows, and even artillery. Long distance races
and wrestling were also heavily promoted, with Macedonians being seen as prominent fighters
in hand to hand combat. King Philip II also forced the infantry to carry bags of flour on their backs
while training and marching up to 35 miles. This trained them for carrying all of their weapons,
armour, rations and other gear during campaigns, which ensured the Macedonian army had
fast and reliable infantrymen. Finally, Philip II understood the importance of
terrain in warfare and he often took his troops on long training exercises across
the different landscapes of Macedonia, including plains, forests, and mountains, to
accustom them to fight in different environments. To ensure Macedonia always had a large pool of
able-bodied recruits ready to join the army in the event of an emergency, the men were entitled and
expected to frequently visit the gymnasium long after their enlistment, until the age of 30. This
practice had its own social benefits for the men, as only the middle and upper classes of the social
hierarchy were allowed to visit gymnasiums. And it ensured that if needed, a total of 16,000
able-bodied infantry phalangites could be recruited from all cantons if needed… But
unlike for the Spartans and other Greeks, it was the cavalry that served as the
elite backbone for the Macedonian army, not the infantry, and thus, it was the
far better trained and highly esteemed component of the army, and the one that
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cavalry, we will focus on the famous Hetairoi, or Companion cavalry of Philip II and Alexander
the Great, who were considered to be the most elite portion of their army… These feared
horsemen started off as mere 14 year old boys when they were first recruited from the aristocratic
families of the Macedonian kingdom, and obligated to go through a 4 year training and education
program. Out of all of the boys, only the luckiest 50 were chosen every year to attend the highly
esteemed institution of the “School of Pages”. Unlike the recruitment of the infantry, which
selected men based on physical and mental prowess, the School of Pages only admitted sons of only the
most influential and wealthy Macedonian elites. Once they got admitted, the teenagers could rest
assured they would become the peak of Macedonian society, as King Philip II himself would be their
benefactor and teacher, and for a very lucky few, a young Alexander the Great would be a mere pupil
in their class. Together, they would train in the Royal gymnasiums twice a day. As part of the
program, the boys were taught humility by having to wear a simple tunic year round, and having
to eat together on the floor. They were taught respect by providing table service for adults
during meals. And they were taught commitment by having to select and train with one horse for
the rest of its life, as Alexander’s famous horse, Bucephalus would be ridden into battle
until its very death at the age of 30. Coming from land-owning families, horsemanship
was second nature to these boys, with many of them being taught from the age of 4. So for
them, it would be like riding a bicycle. The boys would then be expected to perfect their horse
riding without the use of stirrups or a saddle, before moving up to handling a spear and
practising mounted formations. Cohesion and spatial awareness would be taught to both
the boys and their horses through repetition, to avoid colliding with one another in battle. The School of Pages would not
only provide military training, but also education from leading intellectuals
from Ancient Greece, which was mandatory for the boys. King Philip II famously brought
philosopher Aristotle, at a huge expense, to lecture the boys and serve as their life coach,
to ensure that they grew into powerful thinkers, speakers and leaders of the state. These teachers
had a huge autonomy when it came to their lessons, which could sometimes even go against the
king’s agenda. The lessons were primarily in Greek literature, natural science,
philosophy, mathematics, geography, oratory and history, as some remains of ancient
textbooks have shown. We know that Alexander was very grateful for the teachings of Aristotle and
even went on to claim that he loved him equally to his father. As one gave him life, and the
other taught him the ways to live it well... Alongside this priceless physical and mental
preparation, the School of Pages also went by a strict system for punishing and disciplining
boys who misbehaved, disrespected teachers, or fell behind. Philip was noted to have flogged
a boy for falling out from an exercise and going into a public house. More serious offences, such
as severe incompetence, plotting against the king, or endangering others, could even get them
tortured or put to death. What’s more is that punishments would often extend even onto the
families of the boys, which gave all parents a strong incentive to teach their children to behave
from an early age, while other families even went to the extremes of disowning their children
out of the fear of punishment and disgrace. But despite these extremes, the children developed
a strong brotherhood bond with Alexander, and even looked up to King Phillip as a second father, whom
they would respect, serve and protect with their lives long after adulthood. The King would earn
this bond not through his title, but by sharing in the same burdens, sparring sessions, exercises and
burdens as the boys, and serving them as a great role model and teacher. In a similar way, many of
Alexander's most trusted and devoted companions were his former classmates, like Ptolemy, who
would serve by his side and later become Pharaoh of Egypt. To instil these protective instincts, at
the age of 17, the boys would serve as bodyguards for the King in times of War and Peace. In doing
so, they would become accustomed to matters of politics, warfare, and the minor tasks of running
the kingdom. This all worked to secure the loyalty of future elites and the stability of the
Monarchy. In return, the boys could rest assured their future was secure, as they would grow to
become the highest respected individuals and leaders of their society. Keep in mind that this
was very much unlike other Greek systems, like the Athenians, who prided themselves in having
no compulsory state-education at this time... It is said that the loving family bond between the
King and the boys would be so great that a young Alexander would fear that his father wouldn’t
leave him anything to inherit in his will, which would instead likely go to his classmates.
This goes to show that the King didn’t give his son any special attention or relief from
punishments, and he was raised as nothing more than an equal of his classmates.. Even
when Alexander eventually inherited the throne, his closest companions were with him all the time.
And when Alexander got into a heated argument with a fellow companion named Cleitus and had called
his guards on him, and even they hesitated, refusing to get involved in the royal
quarrel, because they considered it banter between friends, with Cleitus even
saving the king in battle not long ago… The School of Pages was not yet complete
until the boys achieved warrior status, which went hand in hand with their graduation,
and ensured they were truly battle ready and could join the companion cavalry. To do this,
the boys had to become very proficient hunters. Similarly to the Spartans, the Macedonians saw the
numerous similarities between hunting and warfare, and used it to simulate the struggles of battle
as a final test of a student’s warrior ability. Alexander would be very fond of hunts during
campaigns, and would later say that for him, ‘hunting was a way to learn about war.” Both
practices were deprived of luxury and comfort, and were dangerous, unpredictable, labour
intensive, and required strict collaboration and very sharp senses. This would all add
to their bravery and control of emotions, teaching them to be always on the
lookout while protecting the king. During these hunts, they were formed into groups
of three and not only faced the beast of the forest, but also their fellow companions, as
it quickly became a competition and question of who was the best. They would usually hunt
wild boar and deer, on the condition that boar must be killed with a spear rather than an arrow.
Once done, they would receive their first belt, which only warriors could have the honour
of wearing by Macedonian law. Thus, hunting was not just an obligation, but a
rite of passage to manhood for these boys. It is only during military campaigns that they
would realize the benefit to these hunting exercises, as they would be able to easily
adapt to difficult terrain on horseback, and could counter the many neighbouring
barbaric populations who were skilled in ambushes in large forests. This
made the companion cavalry among the most feared and respected warriors that
could withstand any terrain and enemy, who were trained both intellectually and
militarily as great strategists for the king. The boys that proved themselves would finally
graduate from school at the age of 18 and would only now become official citizens, moving
from a passive to a more active role in Macedonian society, and they would finally
join the elite Companion Cavalry. Of course, there would be dozens of 18 year olds joining the
ranks every year from different elite Macedonian schools. But it would be the 50 from the School
of Pages, along with Alexander, that would hold the highest distinction in Macedonian society, and
be at the king’s side in all matters of his life… Let us know your opinion on
Ancient Macedonian training, and how it compares to the training of other
ancient fighters. Let us know which ancient state you would like us to cover next. I would
like to say a big thanks to all the patreons, researchers and animators that made this video
possible. We all hope to see you in the next one!
