The Macedonian army of King Philip II and Alexander the Great was renowned for its successes in taking over Greece and the Achaemenid empire. The infantry was famous for its impenetrable phalanx formation, but it was the cavalry that represented the peak of military education and training for its time. Macedonia was broken up into several cantons, with each being required by law to provide a set amount of soldiers for the king's army, depending on their population. Specialized officers would then be responsible for selecting only the best-fit men to join the army, depending on both physical and mental qualities. Prospective recruits would then undergo rigorous physical tests to assess their strength, endurance, and overall fitness, with only the most capable men being selected for service.
Upon recruitment, extensive training awaited the soldiers, which this time focused on the mastery of their weapons. King Philip II also forced the infantry to carry bags of flour on their backs while training and marching up to 35 miles. This trained them to carry all of their weapons, armour, rations, and other gear during campaigns. To ensure that, if needed, a total of 16,000 able-bodied infantry phalangites could be recruited from all cantons, the men were entitled and expected to frequently visit the gymnasium long after their enlistment, until the age of 30. The cavalry served as the elite backbone for the Macedonian army and was the one that made the decisive moves in every battle.
