Overview A modern illustration of the Greek hoplites marching in a phalanx formation The hoplite phalanx of the Archaic and Classical periods in Greece c. 800–350 BC was the formation in which the hoplites would line up in ranks in close order.
One of the most effective and enduring military formations in ancient warfare was that of the Greek phalanx. The age of the phalanx may be traced back to Sumeria...
phalanx, in military science, tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder in files several ranks deep. Fully developed by the ancient Greeks, it survived in modified form into the gunpowder era and is viewed today as the beginning of European military development.
The word phalanx comes from the Greeks, though they were not the only ones who used this formation. The Greek term literally means "log" and was used for both this line of battle and for a bone in a finger or toe.
Each phalanx has two centers of ossification, the first one for the body or shaft, and the second for the base or proximal extremity. The shaft starts to ossify quite early, around the eighth week of fetal growth.
Learn how the Greek phalanx worked as a powerful military formation, using spear walls, shield tactics, and disciplined ranks to dominate ancient battlefields.
What was a Greek phalanx and how did it work? - History Skills
The first encounter between a Greek phalanx and a Roman legion was the battle of Heraclea in 280, in which Pyrrhus of Epirus overcame his Italian enemies, but suffered heavy losses because the Roman army was more flexible and could replace the soldiers in the first line; they could continue to fight much longer.