They were armed with the sarissa, a long spear but at 13 feet actually shorter than the hasta used by Greek hoplites, which was over 16 feet long. |
Once inside the sarissa, the attackers stood a better chance of cracking the phalanx. |
The front ranks now used a shortened, 9-foot spear, while the fifth rank used an immense 21-footer, with the length of the sarissa of intervening ranks of corresponding lengths. |