Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Phalanx

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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

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