tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post7920225481124326809..comments2024-03-28T03:10:23.679-07:00Comments on Polemarch: Men with Pointy SticksThe Polemarchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-9188199571034926352014-06-03T00:26:21.001-07:002014-06-03T00:26:21.001-07:00"One careful lady owner""One careful lady owner"The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-20329742018397594842014-06-03T00:25:59.733-07:002014-06-03T00:25:59.733-07:00I suspect that it arises from the reported fact th...I suspect that it arises from the reported fact that pikemen occasionally used hoplite spears, so instead of carrying both spears and pikes, you have a two part spear and just take the front bit....<br /><br />Mind you, it is a good point about the length and strength of the original wood. I've no idea what a cornel tree looks like in the wild.The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-75036846838100040192014-06-02T12:09:27.191-07:002014-06-02T12:09:27.191-07:00That's it! Archaeology discovers the 'cut ...That's it! Archaeology discovers the 'cut and shut'.Chris Gricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-63198490790522863782014-06-02T08:19:11.743-07:002014-06-02T08:19:11.743-07:00I did wonder, while wandering back from the Co-op ...I did wonder, while wandering back from the Co-op this lunchtime, whether the reason for having the pike in two parts might be the size of the trees it was made from, but that is just idle speculation.Ruaridhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003128932063213463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-61826278569267022412014-06-02T00:23:58.188-07:002014-06-02T00:23:58.188-07:00I think that as going for primary or reliable seco...I think that as going for primary or reliable secondary sources is the way to go, but it is hard to execute with any accuracy. I do have, on my shelves, some embarrassing turkeys and well as some really good works. Hard to tell them apart except by reading them.<br /><br />I suppose a good lending library would help, but they are hard to come by in the information age in the UK....The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-84485242483560502022014-06-02T00:21:40.751-07:002014-06-02T00:21:40.751-07:00Hm. I now have visions of second hand sarissa sale...Hm. I now have visions of second hand sarissa salesmen - one careful owner....The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-29556332542057452562014-06-02T00:21:03.665-07:002014-06-02T00:21:03.665-07:00Sometimes people seem to just go for a complex exp...Sometimes people seem to just go for a complex explanation because it is more interesting than real life. The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-85921404773701881972014-06-02T00:19:57.818-07:002014-06-02T00:19:57.818-07:00I am not entirely sure, but think the answer is &...I am not entirely sure, but think the answer is 'archaeology'. Archaeology finds three bits of sarissa, a butt spike, a point, and a collar bit and so the interpretation then turns on how you put these together to make a weapon. There seem to be three options: 2 bits lengthways, two bits joined in the middle, or one bit with a collar.<br /><br />Mind you, the conventional wisdom for the collar or the long bits on C17 pike points is to stop the enemy chopping off the end. Is there any evidence of this happening?The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-30172733418572219272014-06-01T14:51:39.744-07:002014-06-01T14:51:39.744-07:00I'm with Ross - I hate complicated explanation...I'm with Ross - I hate complicated explanations for something that ought to be simple.<br />Perhaps it all started as a repair for one broken sarissa? "There you are, guv'. Good as new. No-one will ever see the join."Chris Gricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-35613229733872183712014-05-31T13:39:24.712-07:002014-05-31T13:39:24.712-07:00I'm trying to work out why people thought the ...I'm trying to work out why people thought the pike might come as a flat-pack kit. Surely the only surviving evidence of the sarissa does not suggest that? Is this one of those things that someone suggested ages ago and suddenly it became accepted as truth? I find your conclusions sound, for what that is worth. Still, people do some seriously strange stuff, so it is not impossible that they actually did make their pointy sticks in two parts. Has anyone tried making reconstructions and seen how they fare in reenactment battles?Ruaridhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003128932063213463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-79602254727194147062014-05-31T07:31:28.678-07:002014-05-31T07:31:28.678-07:002 very sound conclusions. (In my unsubstantiated o...2 very sound conclusions. (In my unsubstantiated opinion as always).<br /><br /> I tend to be particularly suspicious of new complicated explanations for simple things and pronouncements that anything was always done one way by everyone, all the time. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-17413494720511716992014-05-31T06:55:42.714-07:002014-05-31T06:55:42.714-07:00Being one who has a masters in history, I always t...Being one who has a masters in history, I always take things with a grain of salt. History can be wildly inaccurate, and historians have been known to change facts to fit their perception of what happened. One of the biggest things I learned was to go to primary sources or look for authors that use only primary sources or close to that. If an author does not cite his/her material then run the other way quickly. Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10829654530839299051noreply@blogger.com