MAC-36N
John Jenkins Designs
The Macedonian Hypaspists were positioned on the flank of the Phalangites phalanx. Their own flanks were protected by light infantry and cavalry.
Their job was to guard the flanks of the large and unwieldy pike phalanx. The armoured phalangites with their sarissas were not particularly agile or able to turn quickly, so hypaspists were positioned to prevent and protect attacks on the vulnerable sides of the phalanx formation.
Their role was vital to the success of the Macedonian tactics because the phalanx was all but invulnerable from the front, and with its layers of iron spikes moving in unison, were used as the anvil in their hammer and anvil tactics. The Companion cavalry was the hammer that smashed the enemy against the anvil of thousands of iron spikes.
The Hypaspists protected the vulnerable phalanx flank, and were able to conduct maneuvers and use tactics, which owing to their hoplite panoply of weapons, would have been impossible to be performed by the phalangites.