Xenophon

The Amateur General

Greek Phalanx

by J. E. Pournelle, PhD.

By 675 BC, the principal Hellenic states were employing the tactical formation known as the phalanx. This formation became the backbone of all Hellenic-style armies until the first century B.C. when the Mediterranean became a Roman lake. Throughout its development and subsequent history, the phalanx remained virtually unchanged, though many variations were used. The basic armament of a Greek phalanx was the broad-bladed spear (ranging front nine to 12 feet in length) and the round shield (three feet in diameter) called a hoplon. The Macedonians under whom the phalanx reached its peak of efficiency wore little or no body armor, carried a smaller shield (two feet in diameter} and a longer pike known as a sarissa (thirteen feet long under Alexander, eighteen feet under his Successors) instead of the Greek-style spear. The general subunit of a phalanx was a block of eight men across by eight men deep -- 64-man squares. The Macedonians doubled this number to form blocks sixteen by sixteen {256-man squares).

In any case, the Asian infantryman was (in regard to equipment and organization) decidedly inferior to the Hellenic. The overwhelming Greek victory at Plataea (479 B.C.) was labelled by the poet Aeschylus as the "triumph of the spear over the bow," and though simply stated, this sums up the effect of the Greek system on that of the Persians. The Greek forces, in their close phalanx formation covered by bronze, were capable of achieving much greater momentum in a battle-line. In spite of their heavier armor, the (through extensive training) were accustomed to charging and were virtually missile-proof when facing their opponents. The unshielded line of Persians was a poor match for the heavier Greeks, for victory could only be achiered by close combat, not by missile fire.

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