"Why pikes one piece; compare to the sarissa" Topic

I have been researching the question of the Macedonian pike (sarissa) and if it was composed of one wooden shaft or two held together in the middle by a metal "collar". The matter is hotly debated by academics and writers -- one relevant argument, I think, comes from those who cite examples from other periods and armies composed of long spears or pikes. The Scots had long spears, and then all those Renaissance and ECW armies with pikes, for a century or two -- these pikes were all one piece in the wooden shaft, weren't they? The spearhead and buttspike notwithstanding. If these soldiers found one long shaft best for the job and not an undue encumbrance on the march, why wouldn't the Macedonians, goes one argument. Whereas a two-piece shaft joined in the middle has demonstrated drawbacks that reenactors and researchers have discovered. So what are opinions here among those familiar with this period?

Crossposted to ECW, Renaissance, and Ancients boards.

The engineering to create a connector for 2 spear parts could be done but in the long run it is easier to grow longer trees. I guess they used some variant of coppicing to ensure suitable long wooden shafts. Another thought if these connectors were common why are we not finding large numbers when spear heads show up?

I researched this for my book Ancient Battle Formations. Couldn't find any conclusive evidence that the sarissa was ever composed of two pieces.

It was a popular theory for a while, based on the discovery of a tube with the same internal diameter as a spearhead and a buttspike found together with it; originally proposed in a 1970 article by Andronikos – link

I guess this wasn't especially solid evidence in the first place, and most opinion seems against it now.

Any joint would be a weak point in push and shove I'd suggest.

I would recommend Christopher Matthews book "An Invincible Beast" which includes a pretty extensive study on the sarissa including from archeological evidence and reenactments.

I can see a two-part pike arising from a lack of trees large enough to turn into 15'- 24' poles— possibly an issue in the Mediterranean, but not so much in Northern Europe?
But that's pure speculation based on accepting the "joined" design as legitimate or wide spread. Also, never having visited Greece, I don't know whether or not appropriate trees of suitable height/branch length exist there.
Just throwing it out there as a possibility.

Good input, thanks to all! Keep 'em coming!

My gut feeling is single piece. I think there would have been contemporary references to a join and the problems which went with it. But it's not something I'd put a lot of money on.

Parzival, not sure how much the trip would help. One way or another, Greece seems to have lost a lot of topsoil since classical times. And consider how easy it would be to import. No shortage of trees in Gaul in classical times, or up in what used to be Yugoslavia. Inside the Med, trade by sea is relatively easy and cheap. It's not as though you were trying to import from those probably mythical "tin islands" north of Gaul, after all.

I have been to Greece several times and can assure you that they have plenty of trees. Still you don't want to cut down whole trees. You make the branches grow up – coppicing – and cut off those shoots leaving the main tree still growing.

I'm just thinking of the practicality of marching with a single piece 16' or even 24' pike.
Not just marching in the battle, but lugging the darn thing around on a week or month long campaign. 🤷

I just remembered that I have a garden tool— a pole trimmer— for which the shaft is actually two shafts joined with a metal collar and bolts! The result is very much a similar length to a pike or sarissa! So it functions just fine, even under some stress.

Not, of course, that I go around stabbing people with it…

The Swedes in the TYW started trimming their pikes down for the very reason Parzival mentions; the difficulty or hassle of lugging around a 18' pole. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the hypothetical length of pike in many armies were actually much shorter in practice.

"I'm just thinking of the practicality of marching with a single piece 16' or even 24' pike.
Not just marching in the battle, but lugging the darn thing around on a week or month long campaign. "
That is why they were taught to "trail" their pikes, basically hold the pike near the top and drag it. Also baggage wagons would carry the pikes on long marches if not expecting battle.
Ian

Macedonian and Thracian forests in antiquity seem to have had plenty of cornel, ash, and other suitable trees for pikes. Most of the "evidence" for a metal join (collar) seems to derive from a single piece of metal tubing found in a grave in the 1970s, and of uncertain identification to boot. (No wood survived, in other words, and the artifacts were all tumbled about in disorder when excavated. The notion it was a sarissa join was just a theory.) One wonders how a long pike could have been fitted into a tomb in the first place… I had trouble placing a repro hoplite spear in an apartment, for one thing! It wouldn't stand upright under that low ceiling.

Look at that famous "Alexander" mosaic from Pompeii. Roman era, but not a single pike or cavalry xyston is shown in two sections.

Look at that famous "Alexander" mosaic from Pompeii. Roman era, but not a single pike or cavalry xyston is shown in two sections.

Keeping in mind that the pikes in the mosaic belong to the Greek mercenaries that were near to Darius in the centre of the line.

What happens if one sticks someone with a two piece pike? Are you left holding the butt-end when you withdraw it? What happen with moisture and you can't pull it apart to make easier to carry on the march (been there with two piece wooden tent poles)? Just my tuppence ha-penny.