Macedon started to use the cavalry in a completely different way than the way they were commonly used during the fifth century BC. The Persian cavalry was purely a hit and run weapon: they galloped towards the enemy, fired their arrows from a considerable distance and disappeared again. The Macedonian cavalry on the other hand evolved under Philip and his son Alexander and was mostly used for charging.

The tactics of the Macedonian cavalry.

Alexander himself had lead an ile, which is the equivalent of the squadron nowadays, of such hetairoi. When we take a closer look at this cavalry we immediately see how important they were in the Macedonian army. They were quite heavily armoured, and it seems as if they were mostly used for concentrated attacks on the enemy. They were very well trained, and their discipline and communication at high speed were the main reasons for their formidable power.

Several formations were possible for the cavalry when attacking. The Greeks preferred the square of 16 men wide and 8 men deep. The light cavalry usually operated in a more open formation. The Scyths formed themselves into the shape of wedge with the thin edge of the wedge pointed towards the enemy. This method was later on also used by the Macedonians and the Thracians. The Thessalian cavalry finally normally used the diamond which enabled the troops to suddenly change direction, even at high speed. In the army of Alexander the Great ilai were formed of 200 men in such a way that four of these ilai could form a hyparchia. The hetairoi were normally used for a concentrated and fast attack at the left wing of the enemy army. The phalanx prevented at the same time that the centre of the enemy would advance, while the light cavalry at the left wing protected the left side of the phalanx. Of course were there a lot of variations possible.

The equipment of the Macedonian cavalry.