The long spear used by Alexander's phalanx was called the sarissa. This exceptionally long pike was the defining weapon of the Macedonian phalanx, allowing tightly packed infantry to present several rows of spear points toward an approaching enemy.
The sarissa was much longer than the ordinary Greek spear, often estimated at roughly ’s five to seven metres, although its exact dimensions varied. Because it was difficult to handle with one hand, soldiers generally used both hands, carrying smaller shields suspended from the arm or shoulder. The formation depended on discipline and level ground to keep its frontage intact.
The sarissa helped distinguish Macedonian tactics from the traditional hoplite system, whose soldiers carried shorter spears and large shields. It was not a cavalry weapon: Alexander's companion cavalry used other arms, including the xyston. The kontos was also a long lance associated especially with later cavalry traditions, while dory was a more general Greek term for a spear.