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The Greek Phalanx
In the 8th century B.C. the Greeks abandoned the art of single chaotic combat in favor of an organized formation of heavily armored fighters known as the phalanx. The origin of the phalanx is hazy, but it is known to have been utilized by the Sumerians over two thousand years before the rise of the Greek city-states.

The phalanx was trained to operate and maneuvor as a cohesive unit. The phalanx was composed of heavily armored hoplites carrying long iron tipped spears. Hoplites formed into four enomotiai each three ranks across and eight ranks deep. Two enomotiai formed a pentekostyes. Each enomotiai consisted of 23 hoplites, a veteran officer known as a ouragos, and a commanding officer known as a enomotarch. One ouragos stood behind each enomotiai to ensure that each rank performed their job. The enomotarch fought in the front rank at the right side of the unit. The whole of the phalanx was known as a lochos. Each lochos was commanded by a lochagos who fought at the front of the right hand file. The left half of the lochos was commanded by a pentekonter. The exact numbers sometimes varied, but the premise was always the same.

Each hoplite carried a long iron tipped spear and shield. The shield was large enough to partially protect the man to his left. As the phalanx advanced the hoplites would maintain a steady pace and slowly begin to quicken their pace as they approached the enemy. The momentum they gained would turn the phalanx into a battering ram as they crashed into the enemy. As men in the front rank fell those from the rear would take their place.

As terrifying as a rapidly advancing phalanx bristling with spears was, the formation suffered from several weaknesses. The key weakness was the lack of mobility and maneuverability. The phalanx could not change direction rapidly, which left the rear and flanks vulnerable to attack. For this reason a general's first concern was to ensure that his front rank was at least equal to that of his opponent. Maintaining the integrity of the line was imperative. Any break in the line would give the enemy an opportunity to drive between the ranks exposing the weak flanks of the phalanx.

 o        o        o         o
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
hhh     hhh     hhh     hhh
Lhh     ehh     ehh     ehh

A typical Greek phalanx formation.
h=hoplite
o=ouragos
L=lochagos
e=enomotarch

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