304 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



him at the same time as that of Alexander's birth. The jockey- 

 was evidently a boy' selected for his light weight, for he is 

 much smaller in proportion to his horse than is the Macedonian 

 trooper (Fig. 87). This difference is possibly due not simply to 

 the fact that one is a full-grown man, and the other a bo}", but 

 also to the superior size of the race-horse, which is shown by 

 the set-on of its tail and other points to be a far better bred 

 animal than the ordinary cavalry mount. Others of his coins 

 represent one of his famous Macedonian horse-soldiers, bearded, 

 wearing a hat and cloak (Fig. 87). His cavalry was of two 

 kinds — the Sarissophori or Lancers, apparently light-horse, 

 armed with the sarissa, but probably in this case not more 

 than 14 feet long, and the heavy cavalr\^ who carried, not a 

 javelin for throwing, but the xyston, or pike, suited for thrust- 

 ing in hand-to-hand fioht. 



But apparently the best Macedonian horses were imported 

 from lands further south, if we may judge by the fact that 

 Bucephalus, the famous charger of Alexander, was bred in 

 Thessaly by Philonicus of Pharsalus. Alexander when a boy 

 saw him and purchased him from his breeder for sixteen talents. 

 The horse derived his name either from his appearance, or 

 from a brand on his shoulder in the form of a bull's head^ 



When Alexander succeeded his father all he had to do was 

 to perfect the military organization which he had inherited. 

 In his vast conquests it would appear that his cavalry was even 

 superior in efficiency to his infantry. The heavy cavalry, which 

 had from of old formed the chief arm of Macedon, and which 

 had been supplemented by the Sarissophori, were known as the 

 Companions. According to Arrian^ at the battle of Arbela 

 there were eight distinct squadrons of the Companions, most of 

 which, if not all, were named after different districts or towns. 

 There was a distinguished royal squadron called the Agema, or 

 leading body, at the head of which Alexander generally charged. 

 Alexander divided these squadrons into half-squadrons in 

 330 B.C. 



Not only was the cavalry furnished by Macedonia proper, 



^ Cf. Waldstein, Art of Pheidias, p. 415. 



2 Pliny, H. N. viii. 42. 64. ^ ^^ab. i. 2. 89. 



