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Notes on video lecture:
Alexander's Cavalry Units
Notes taken by Edward Tanguay on August 27, 2015 (go to class or lectures)
Choose from these words to fill the blanks below:
locally, weapon, resources, cranes, smaller, one, playbook, broad, time, punch, mounts, retreating, Philip, central, underhand, blades, Persian, gaps, battle, envelop, abundance, front, Macedon, stirrups, not, body
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raising horses
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               Greece
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the land and resources of        particularly suited to rearing horses, which require:
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fields
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fodder
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water
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people who could spend high amounts of          tending to them
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none of these are in                   
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lower               
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broad fields
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much food
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much water
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large group of Macedonian nobles were willing to spend their                    on breeding and raising a large number of resources
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just as             , introduced their sons to horses and riding from a very young age
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put into one of the units of the cavalry
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two squadrons
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recruited               
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200-250 riders in each squadron
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royal squadron
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fought around the king when he fought in battle
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a kind of an extended          guard of the king
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the best riders in all the kingdom of Macedon
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most riders were probably excellent horsemen
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horses
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               on average
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did not have saddles or                 
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had to control their              with used:
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harsh bridles and bits
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pressure with legs
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had to
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ride galloping at 35 miles per hour
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stay in formation
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held reins of horse with        hand
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             in the other hand
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all the while dodging javelins and arrows
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primary weapon
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tapered, three-meter-long lance
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             at both ends, just in case your lance broke
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you would still have part of a weapon with a sharp edge to it
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you could throw the lance
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or thrust with it overhand or                   
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in famous Alexander mosaic, he is thrusting with one of those lances
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also reserve weapons
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javelins
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very likely the majority wore metal helmets and breastplates
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difference between cavalry of Greek city-states and Macedon
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Greek city-states
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provided cover for
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flanks
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                     infantry men
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Macedon
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to                their foes
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to            holes through the lines of their enemies
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an offensive strike force design to open up          in enemy lines
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attacked enemy lines on a wedge formation that focused speed, mass, and force on a single point
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the wedge was formed in the shape of the Greek letter "Δ", or Delta
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in doing so, that distinguished their doctrine of attack from other cavalry contingents which usually attacked on a            front
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thereby diffusing the amount of power and momentum that they brought to the              field
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the leaders of each wedge fought at the           
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the cavalry men followed him like              following a lead crane in flight
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when the leader turned left or right, they simple followed him
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it was Philip apparently who introduced this wedge formation into the Macedonian cavalry                 
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in each of the major battles that Alexander fought that ended up that ended up overturning the                empire, he fought at the front of one of those wedges

Vocabulary:

mount, n. a means of conveyance, such as a horse, on which to ride ⇒ "Not having saddles or stirrups, ancient Macedonian horsemen had to control their mounts by the use of harsh bridles, or bit, or the pressure they exerted with their legs."

Spelling Corrections:

gallopping ⇒ galloping
calvary ⇒ cavalry

Ideas and Concepts:

Equestrian military strategies of Alexander the Great via this morning's Alexander the Great course: "While the cavalry of the central Greek city-states provided mainly cover for their flanks and retreating infantry men, in Macedon, the purpose of the cavalry was to envelop their foes, punch holes through the lines of their enemies, and carry out an offensive strike force designed to open up gaps in enemy lines. The Macedonians attacked enemy lines in a wedge formation that focused speed, mass, and force on a single point, the wedge being formed in the shape of the Greek letter "Δ", or Delta. This unique strategy distinguished Macedon´s doctrine of attack from the cavalry contingents of the day which usually attacked on a broad front that only diffused the amount of power and momentum that was brought to the battle field. The leaders of each Macedonian wedge force fought at the front of the triangle heading directly into battle, companion cavalry men following him like cranes behind the lead crane in flight. When the leader turned left or right, his fellow cavalry men simply followed his direction. It was Alexander's father Philip who apparently introduced this wedge formation into the Macedonian cavalry playbook, and at each of the decisive battles that Alexander fought which ended up overturning the Persian empire, Alexander fought at the front of one of those wedges."
Alexander the Great, the Terrible, or the Insignificant
Why Study Alexander the Great?
The Importance of the Battle of Thermopylae
The Peloponnesian War and Internal Greek Struggles
Early Macedon
The Nature of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon's Military Reforms
Alexander's Cavalry Units
Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC)