Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Phalanx

599 Words2 Pages

One of the popular tactics of ancient Greek Armies was the phalanx. The greek soldiers would arrange themselves in a line, hold their shields out in front of them, and thrust their spears forward. The enemy would not be able to reach them with their close range weapons because of the spears keeping them at bay. if they tried to attack from range with arrows their hoplite shields would simply block it. This wall of soldiers could very easily overpower a overpower a weak army with little effort. Despite the phalanx being an absurdly strong tactic, there were its weaknesses. For example only the soldiers on the edges of the phalanx would be able to respond when an enemy planked them. If they turned and attacked too quickly they may very possibly hit their …show more content…

The phalanx although being a near unstoppable force on level ground, was made vulnerable on unequal ground. If the soldiers were not perfectly aligned there would be gaps in the phalanx. these gaps made the soldiers vulnerable. Eventually enemies started to learn how to counter the phalanx. Armies would outfit their soldiers with very heavy spears to pierce the Greek soldiers’ hoplite shields. The heavy javelins could easily pierce through the front row of soldiers. Despite the phalanx’s many weaknesses, it still proved to be a formidable tactic that armies would fear and copy for generations to come.









The Spartan hoplite soldiers were most certainly a force to be reckoned with, not only were they well trained, but also well armed. A hoplite was a soldier dressed in heavy armour with a large round copper shield, a long spear called a Dory, and one of two different sidearms: a Xiphos or Kopis. The primary weapon was the Dory. Not only was this weapon a key piece of the phalanx, but also good in one on one combat. Dories were typically eight feet long weighing ten pounds. The main combat technique of the Dory was to keep the opponent at a far distance and

Show More
Related

  • Why Did Machiavelli's Use Of Cavalry

    4021 Words  | 9 Pages

    Without the right ecosystem for horses, the ancient Greeks were forced to trade for horses, which were highly expensive. The ancient Greeks were then forced to come up with a way to counter the Persians’ use of cavalry, which they solved with the creation of the phalanx. A phalanx was a group of soldiers armed with 7- to 8-foot-long spears, short swords, and round shields that were able to interlock with other shields. The soldiers wore a helmet, breastplate, and usually greaves. A phalanx is made up of lines of men extending their spears towards the enemy's direction. If a soldier is killed, the soldier from behind is to take his place, and this continues until all of the soldiers are killed. Machiavelli wrote, “The injuries which the first rank suffered, depleted the last, and the first rank always remained complete; and thus the Phalanxes, because of their arrangement, were able rather to become depleted than broken, since the large (size of its) body made it more immobile.” Machiavelli greatly admired the phalanx and considered it to be a useful formation if used correctly. Eventually Phillip the II of Macedonia improved the phalanx by doubling the spear length and reducing the shield size, which greatly increased a phalanx’s mobility. The Greeks would line up their phalanxes, and when the Persian

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Battle of Thermopylae

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Greek army consisted of 300 Spartans and about 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers from across Greece. Leonidas planned to use his soldiers’ better fighting skills to defeat, or at least hold off, Xerxes’ forces until the remainder of the Greek Army could arrive. Before the Persian army advanced to meet the Spartans on the battlefield they sent scouts to find their position. They found the Spartans had built a small wall of stone, nothing that could st... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • A review on Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    After his army's victory in Thermopylae, King Xerxes fervently wanted more information on the rare soldiers that confronted his limitless army, those reckless Spartans that faced insurmountable odds and refused to surrender even though their only alternative was gruesome death.

    Read More

  • Roman and Greek Military

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Greeks and Romans are famous for the strategy's that they used. The Greeks main strategy was called the Phanlax. They basically have a rectangle of troops and each on...

    Read More

  • Comparing The Spartan Army And The Macedonian Army

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    Every Spartan male was trained to become a soldier from birth. While this was true for Sparta, the Macedonian hoplites had little to no training before war. Even with no training, they became experienced through the many battles they fought and through Alexander’s directive. Many Macedonian soldiers instead were normal citizens who were recruited to join the army and in return for their service, they would become citizens and have the right to vote and etc. To start off, the Spartan’s armor and weapons were exceptional. They had bronze helmets and armor. The armor was decently heavy but when you are made of pure muscle, bronze becomes very light on the body. Along with their armor, the famous Spartan shield was also bronze. Their weapons consisted of one long spear and a steel sword sheathed on their side for close combat. However, it was not their weapons and armor that won them limitless battles and war, in fact, it was their strategy that is known as the “phalanx” formation. Alexander and the Macedonians used a similar formation for their army, but the Spartans used this formation in a simple but very effective way for its troops. The “phalanx formation,” in general, is when soldiers form a square, standing shoulder to shoulder and protecting the soldier next to them instead of themselves. It requires soldiers to move and fight as one unit instead of breaking formation and fighting uncoordinatedly. As a result, staying in formation allowed Spartans to look after their fellow brothers more easily on the battlefield. This Spartan system had such a reputation that even King Philip did not want to go to battle with Sparta. Philip even sent Sparta a message while he was on his way to claim Athens. The message told Sparta to “submit immediately” because if he (Philip) were to win the war with Athens, Sparta would be the next Macedonian target and he would “destroy the people of Sparta and all they have.”

    Read More

  • Sparta: Infrastructure, Social Structure, and Superstructure

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Like most Greek states of the Archaic and Classical Era, the Spartan city-state was a militaristic one. Sparta, however, took the idea to its extreme. In order to become the best soldiers, Spartan citizens had to dedicate their entire lives to the occupation. In fact to be a soldier – a hoplite – was the full infrastructure of Spartan society. While most Greek city-states looked down on labor, physical work, and even working for profit, they still had to work for a living, produce something. “The Spartans a...

    Read More

  • Sun Tzu's Impact on Historical Warfare Strategies

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sun Tzu strongly advocates for trickery on the battlefield, saying “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable.”7 The Athenians use their smaller army to their advantage and planned a tactical military formation outside of Marathon. They placed the majority of the men in the left and right wings of the army, which meant the “ranks of the centre were diminished, and it became the weakest part of the line” in the hopes that the Persian army would break through.8 When the battle commenced, the front line of Athenians charged at the enemy, and to the Persians “it seemed to them that the Athenians were bereft of their senses, an bent upon their own destruction; for they saw a mere handful of men coming on at a run.”9 The Persians were lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their enemies had much less men than they actually

    Read More

  • The Battle of Marathon

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rated the superiority of the Greek long spear and armor over the weapons of the Persians, as well as the superior tactics of Miltiades and the military training of the Greek hoplites. The choice of weapons, training of warriors, selection of battle site, and timing had all worked together to help the Athenians prove that size doesn’t always matter.

    Read More

  • The Collapse Of The Bronze Age

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Up until the collapse of the Bronze Age, warfare was ruled by a chariot elite, who used their mobile platforms to better their enemies, either as battle taxis or as mobile archery platforms.2 These tactics were effective and utilized the weapons of their time effectively. However, it was around the time of the Bronze Age collapse that the slashing sword came into popularity. This weapon gave infantry an advantage over their restricted opponents, who could only stab with their pointed weapons. Coupled with the javelins ability to cripple horses and stop chariots, this new sword enabled less experienced warriors to fight more effectively.2 A swarm of infantry equipped with these weapons could therefore defeat a typical Bronze Age army of soldiers and chariots with relative

    Read More

  • Battle Of Thermopylae Research Paper

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the power of a patriotic army defending native soil. The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is also used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment, and good use of terrain as force multipliers and has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds.The fame of Thermopylae is thus principally derived, not from its effect on the outcome of the war, but for the inspirational example it set. Thermopylae is famous because of the heroism of the doomed rearguard, who, despite facing certain death, remained at the pass. Ever since, the events of Thermopylae have been the source of effusive praise from many sources; e.g. "...the fairest sister-victories which the Sun has ever seen, yet they would never dare to compare their combined glory with the glorious defeat of King Leonidas and his men.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Battle Of Salamis

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Battle of Salamis is said to be one of the most important battles in all of history. It was a naval battle fought between the massive Persian army and smaller Greek army in the Bay of Salamis in 480 BCE. This battle was one of the many battles that were a part of the Greco-Persian war. This paper will explore the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, including advantages and disadvantages both sides had on one and other, and finally will discuss the affects the result of this battle had on each side. Surprisingly, the much smaller Greek army defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis. How did this happen, one may ask? Although the Persians appeared to have the military advantage in this battle, particularly in terms of sheer size and numbers, the Greeks successfully defeated them with the help of their leaders, tactics, and many Persian blunders.

    Read More

  • The Causes and Effects of the Peloponnesian War

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    When examining the causes for the Peloponnesian War, which was between 431-404 B.C., there are a number of causes that factored into the cause of this war. However, one of the most important causes to this war was largely due to the fact that the Spartans feared the growing power and success of Athens. The Spartans were “particularly alarmed at the growing power of Athens” (Cartwright, “Peloponnesian War”). During the Persian war in 479 BC, Athens grew fiercely strong with power with help of its many allies and continued with their no mercy attacks on Persian territories. When the Persians left Greece, Athens further enraged Sparta when they built large and tall walls around its empire in the event of an attack, which was mostly thought to be from Sparta if it happened.

    Read More

  • Success of the Roman Army

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    The velites, were considered the entry class into the military, and consequently were the first used in battle. This infantry often consisted of the poorest soldiers, only given a small shield, cheap leather armor, and five javelins, which they had to buy themselves. When enemies would approach, they would be on the front lines of their army, and would quickly throw their pilum (throwing spears) to render enemy shields useless (Roman Empire Wars).

    Read More

  • The Iliad of Homer and Greek Heroes

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    essential to the Greeks and life would not be worth living without it. When a warrior or

    Read More

  • Difference Between Greek and Roman Warfare

    410 Words  | 1 Pages

    The main difference between Greek and Roman warfare was the formations that they fought in. The Grecian armies all used the phalanx as a fighting formation while the Romans used the maniple. The phalanx was one mass formation that consisted of infantry eight deep. The maniple formation was actually a group of formations in a checkerboard pattern. Each maniple consisted of about 120 men and when employed in Italy, the Romans used thirty maniples. The maniple proved to be a better formation, because the phalanx left no room for maneuvering after engagement.

    Read More

More about Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Phalanx

Open Document