AT THE PHILIP OF
MACEDONIA CLINIC
The watchword was 'careful', and we could only
say it once : The Macedonian cavalryman carried a
murderous weapon, a meat cleaver so to speak, called
a 'machaira', as his principle close-combat weapon.
Xenophon also referred to it as a 'kopis', and the names
seem to have been used interchangeably : twenty-five
inches long, it weighed two pounds, with a two-and-a-half
inch -wide, single-edged blade which was eighteen inches
in length and curved backward. The weapon's weight was
out at its tip, making it an excellent shopping sword but
ineffective for stabbing or slashing. When the weapon was
swung, its wight was carried towards the tip, where it would
do the most damage as the cutting edge drove deeply into
the target. It was especially destructive when gravity was
added to the driving force, as when a cavalryman on his
mount wielded it in a powerful downward chopping blow
directed at the enemy below him; even without a saddle
or stirrups to steady him, the Macedonian cavalryman
on his mount could sufficiently grip his mount with
his thighs to wield the machaira with great power.
-
Arrian records show that at the Grancius, Cleitus
saved Alexander's life by striking a cavalryman
about to attack Alexander from behind - the
downard blow was so great that it completely
severed the attacker's arm at the shoulder.
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