Description
The Hellenistic kings who succeeded Alexander recruited their royal cavalry guard in the image of Alexander’s famed Companion cavalry. Similarly equipped, they carried the Macedonian 'xyston' lance, a two-handed thrusting spear of around four metres in length. They led their royal cavalry in the same heroic style as Alexander, setting an example at the head of the charge. Whilst besieging Sparta in 272 BC, Pyrrhus of Epirus learned of the death of his son. Channelling his grief and anger, he charged his cavalry headlong into a unit of elite Spartan infantry. Toppled from his horse, Pyrrhus fought hand-to-hand against the odds and survived to tell the tale. This approach to frontline combat meant he was held in great regard by his men, but eventually led to his death. Caught in melee in the narrow streets of Argos, where he had come to curb unrest, Pyrrhus was stunned by a tile thrown from a roof and then beheaded by an Argive soldier before he could recover.
