What was the Macedonian Phalanx?
First adapted by Phillip II from the exceedingly successful rectangular mass military formation of heavy infantry armed with long pole weapons, the Macedonian phalanx proved one of the most formidable units of warfare in the ‘known world’ until the arrival of the Roman Legion.
When in 359 BCE, Phillip II, inherited the throne of Macedonia, he was faced with many, many challenges not the least of which included being constantly threatened by foreign tribes, a deeply impoverished class of infantry, and an ill-equipped and undisciplined military.
Having spent a large portion of his youth in the Greek city state of Thebes before he became King, Phillip II was exposed to many military reforms brought about by the Theban general Epaminondas and the Athenian general Iphicrates, and was able to bring them about in his own native Kingdom.
Using Macedonia’s abundance of high-quality timber to his advantage, Phillip used “cornel wood” to create a type of long pike called a sarissa.
Carried with both hands, and held four-fifths of the way up the shaft, the sarissa was meant to compensate for the relatively light armor and small shield (called a pelta) of the infantrymen who carried them.
Measuring eight rows across and 16 ranks deep, the Macedonian Phalanx was designed to be almost invincible when fighting head on.
Multiple rows of sarissa passing in front of the front most row of hoplites could make for an almost impenetrable wall of sarissae while multiple sarissas angled at 45 degree intervals could provide protection from arrows and perhaps thrown javelins.
When used correctly, the Macedonian phalanx could prove an exceedingly effective weapon as can be seen over and over in the hands of such warrior-Kings as Alexander the Great and Pyrrhus.
However, the key to the efficiency of the phalanx lay in the professionalism of its soldiers.
When Phillip began to reform the Macedonian military, he was quite keen on bringing about a higher level of professionalism in his soldiers that was perhaps never before exhibited by the ‘semi-civilized’ Macedonians.
Phillip also believed it was vital to properly and relentlessly drill his soldiers while similarly forcing them to engage in difficult long-distance marches to keep them perpetually prepared for their next campaign.
The almost unstoppable force that constituted the Macedonian Phalanx would prove pivotal not only in the development of a Macedonian ‘empire’ under Phillip, but would prove a cornerstone of his son, Alexander’s own military strategy on the battlefield.
So important was the phalanx to Alexander, that amidst his lengthy campaigning, he actually recruited some 30,000 asian levies specifically for the purpose of being trained in the manner of the Macedonian phalanx.
In his many campaigns, Alexander would use the phalanx defensively in what was called a “hammer and anvil” tactic whereby the phalanx’s natural ‘anvil’ by which the enemy would be hammered from behind by Alexander’s powerful cavalry — his hetairoi — foot-companions.
This all worked of course so long as the phalanx was properly supported by lighter troops to guard the rear and flanks of the phalanx.
Without proper support or cohesion the phalanx could become vulnerable to attacks by more flexible units which in the end proved the case when the flexible Roman legions were able to successfully undermine the cohesion of the phalanx on the battlefield.
