Macedonian phalanx
E366114
The Macedonian phalanx was a revolutionary Hellenistic infantry formation of tightly packed pikemen wielding long sarissas, which enabled Macedon’s dominance under Philip II and Alexander the Great.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Macedonian phalanx canonical | 8 |
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Hellenistic military formation
ⓘ
infantry formation ⓘ military formation ⓘ phalanx ⓘ |
| cooperatedWith |
Companion cavalry
ⓘ
light infantry and skirmishers ⓘ |
| declinedBecauseOf |
difficulty operating on broken terrain
ⓘ
tactical flexibility of Roman legions ⓘ |
| developedBy | Philip II of Macedon ⓘ |
| developedIn |
4th century BCE
ⓘ
Macedon ⓘ |
| era |
Classical period of ancient Greece
ⓘ
Hellenistic period ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
coordinated movement in close order
ⓘ
deep formation ⓘ heavy infantry ⓘ multiple projecting spear points in front ranks ⓘ offensive shock infantry role ⓘ required high discipline and drill ⓘ rigid frontal battle line ⓘ shield carried on left arm ⓘ tightly packed ranks of pikemen ⓘ very long pikes ⓘ vulnerability on flanks ⓘ vulnerability on rough terrain ⓘ |
| hasPrimaryWeapon | sarissa ⓘ |
| hasTypicalDepth |
16 ranks
ⓘ
up to 32 ranks ⓘ |
| hasTypicalEquipment |
body armor (linen or metal cuirass)
ⓘ
helmet ⓘ sarissa pike ⓘ short sword or dagger ⓘ small shield (pelte or aspis variant) ⓘ |
| hasTypicalFrontage | variable according to tactical needs ⓘ |
| influenced |
Hellenistic warfare
ⓘ
successor state armies ⓘ |
| influencedBy | earlier Greek hoplite phalanx ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
Roman legion
ⓘ
surface form:
Roman manipular legion
|
| purpose |
to dominate frontal engagements
ⓘ
to fix enemy infantry for cavalry maneuvers ⓘ |
| usedBy |
Alexander the Great
ⓘ
Antigonid dynasty ⓘ Hellenistic kingdoms ⓘ
surface form:
Hellenistic successor states
Macedon ⓘ
surface form:
Kingdom of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon ⓘ Ptolemaic Kingdom ⓘ Seleucid Empire ⓘ |
| usedInConflict |
Battle of Chaeronea
ⓘ
Battle of Gaugamela ⓘ Battle of Issus ⓘ Hellenistic–Roman wars ⓘ Wars of the Diadochi ⓘ |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.