The Macedonian phalanx gave rise to one of the largest empires in early Eurasian history. Alexander the Great's army of approximately 50,000 men impressively defeated much larger armies through an ingenious tactic of outmaneuvering and outflanking an enemy army with cavalry and skirmishers while the phalanx held the front line (Wasson ). This ingenious strategy caused the enemy lines to break indefinitely and brought the Macedonian army to an undefeated record. Although Alexander's military strategies were innovative and successful, there were many other reasons why Alexander's army was so successful. Of particular importance is the ingenuity of Macedonian armor and, more specifically, how it was adapted to better suit the roles of phalanx, cavalry, skirmishers and men-at-arms. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Phalanx, originally designated as a heavy infantry unit, was converted to a light infantry unit under the command of Alexander the Great and his father, Philip II. This sacrifice of protection gave the unit much more mobility. While early hoplites were usually equipped with bronze armour, Alexander's phalanx generally wore a corset made of many linens glued together with sticky resins. However, each member of the phalanx carried a shield called a pelta or hoplar, a shield about 1 meter in diameter. This shield was made of wood and covered with a layer of bronze, so it was quite light but still sturdy and protective. These shields were also wielded with a sarissa, a very long pike, to allow the phalanx to keep the enemy at a distance and dissuade them from pushing too far forward (Hanson, 91). Under Alexander the Great, cavalry was used as shock. troops for the first time in history. As they led the charge, they needed heavy, protective armor. Each heavy cavalry was equipped with a heavy bronze linothorax, an ancient type of armor from ancient Greece. It was constructed by covering a linen sheet with a bronze plate or mail and further reinforcing it with a layer of leather (Aldrete et al., 58). Their helmets – Boeotian helmets – were open to allow better peripheral vision and not to impair hearing (Anderson, 147). Guarding the cavalry's flank were usually peltasts, who wore no armor for maximum mobility. They were equipped with several javelins, a sword, and usually a light shield. The peltasts were one of Alexander's primary skirmish units and excelled in rugged terrain where enemy heavy infantry and cavalry could not deploy cohesively. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize essayOn Alexander's personal armor, art-historical interpretations suggest that he wore armor in the style of the linothorax, with horizontal iron pauldrons with a scaled tassel for increased mobility. He also wore iron-plated armor with leather and linen stiffened at the joints. It is clear that mobility was specifically emphasized in Alexander's tactics, as most infantry were lightly equipped and their armor was specifically designed for speed over protection. This coincides with most records of Alexander's battle tactics, in which the phalanx drew in the enemy lines and cavalry or skirmishers quickly flanked them, followed by a phalanx push.