The Sômatophylaques (transcription of the old Greek σωματοφύλακες ), literally “bodyguards”, constitute the close guard of the king de Macédoine. They are selected among the nobility Macedonian.

Under the reign of Alexandre Large the, period during which this institution is best known, their number is fixed at seven, and it is possible to reconstitute the composition of this guard in the following way:

• 336 - 334: Arrhibas, Ptolémée, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Balakros, Démétrios, Peithon.
• 333 : Arrhibas, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Balakros, Démétrios, Peithon.
• 332 : Arrhibas, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Ménès, Démétrios, Peithon.
• 331 : Léonnat, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Ménès, Démétrios, Peithon.
• 330 - 329: Perdiccas, Léonnat, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Démétrios, Peithon.
• 328 - 327: Ptolémée, Perdiccas, Léonnat, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Peithon.
• 326 - 324: Ptolémée, Perdiccas, Léonnat, Héphaestion, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Peithon, Peucestas (exceptionally, it is the eighth sômatophylaque one)
• 323: Ptolémée, Perdiccas, Léonnat, Lysimaque, Aristonos, Peithon, Peucestas