The
sarissa or
sarisa was a long spear or
pike about in length used in
ancient Greek and
Hellenistic warfare. It was introduced by
Philip II of Macedon and was used in his
Macedonian phalanxes as a replacement for the earlier
dory, which was considerably shorter. These longer spears improved the traditional strength of the phalanx by extending the rows of overlapping weapons projecting towards the enemy, and the word remained in use throughout the Byzantine years to sometimes describe the long spears of their own infantry.