It also allowed a higher proportion of the soldiers to be actively engage… [2] Other forces—skirmishers, range troops, reserves of allied hoplites, archers, and artillery—were also employed. [1], The phalanx consisted of a line-up of several battalion blocks called syntagmata, each of its 16 files (lochoi) numbering 16 men, for a total of 256 in each unit. And hence, it takes a more skilled commander with an integrated army to be able to use it effectively. There are several key differences in the formations. Apr 26, 2016 - This Pin was discovered by Anıl ÖZTÜRK. The Roman order on the other hand is flexible: for every Roman, once armed and on the field, is equally well-equipped for … The Macedonian phalanx had everyone armed with a sarissa, which was a pike at least 5 metres in length. March 11, 2008, 11:47 AM. If this is your first visit, be sure to Even a minimally equipped and trained phalanx was still a … The Makedonian phalanx had formations like 16x16, but part of their superiority stemmed from their training that enabled them to use different formations, including rather thin ones. [4] At close range such large weapons were of little use, but an intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance. The phalanx was much more rigid, but overwhelmingly powerful in a frontal assault. [3] During Alexander's campaign, the phalanx remained more or less the same, with the notable difference being more non-Macedonian soldiers among the ranks. The sarrisa is alot longer than the doru. Every soldier held a 16 cubit spear. [1] Philip II was a hostage in Thebes for much of his youth (367-360), where he witnessed the combat tactics of the general Epaminondas, which then influenced his restructuring of the infantry. That is simply not true. Hoplite Phalanx Weaknesses. The Macedonian Empire of King Philip II, prior to his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC. [1] The phalanx was later changed to a 16 by 16 formation, and while the date for this change is still unknown, it occurred before 331 under Philip’s rule. ... An ancient Greek and Macedonian military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears. The Macedonian Phalanx The Histories, Book XVIII, Chapters 28-32: In my sixth book I made a promise, still unfulfilled, of taking a fitting opportunity of drawing a comparison between the arms of the Romans and Macedonians, and their respective system of tactics, and pointing out how they differ for better or worse from each other. These ancient soldiers filled their enemy with fear and constituted the might of their nation’s army at the height of its power. Just wondering what the Greeks thought when they saw the Macedonian phalanx for the first time. [4] All of the armor and weaponry a phalangite would carry totaled about 40 pounds, which was close to 10 pounds less than the weight of Greek hoplite equipment. From there, Alexander thought of creating an experimental phalanx. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and defeat armies of other kingdoms. The Macedonian phalanx now was used to pin the centre of the enemy line, while cavalry and more mobile infantry struck at the foe's flanks. The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II.It was used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire.The formation was made up of spearmen carrying 18 to 20 ft (5.5–6 m) long spears. They never really fought against heavy cavalry that I can tell. In essence, the range of their counter-weighted sarissa, allowed them superior mobility as well as superior defense and attack abilities despit… The decisive battle happened on flat ground not too far from the site of Thermopylae. In the mighty Phalanx men stood side by side. XT November 15, 2004, 11:52pm #14. Macedonia.. Alexander The Great. They never really fought against heavy cavalry that I can tell. It was one of the most successful infantry formations of the ancient world, only rivaled by the manipular formation of the Roman legions. The macedonian phalanx didn't just suddenly pop up AFAIK, it was a gradual development from the greek phalanx. [4] The left flank was generally covered by allied cavalry supplied by the Thessalians, which fought in rhomboid formation and served mainly in a defensive role. TL;DR: The Macedonian phalanx had always been vulnerable, but Alexander made sure this wouldn’t get fatally exploited by his enemies. Besides classical hoplites Hellenistic nations began to field two new types of hoplites, the Thureophoroi and the Thorakitai. And I don't agree with a poster who claimed that Philip's victory was that of a professional Macedonian army vs Greek militia. The man on the far right was left partly exposed so the entire right side was left vulnerable and the most likely to be attacked. Macedonian Phalanx. Viewers discretion is advised! Phalanx vs Larynx - What's the difference? And I don't agree with a poster who claimed that Philip's victory was that of a professional Macedonian army vs Greek militia. The basic tactic was the man behind put his shield against the back of the man in front and pushed. [1] The phalangites also had a smaller and flatter shield than that of the Greek hoplon, measuring about 24 inches and weighing about 12 pounds. And hence, it takes a more skilled commander with an integrated army to be able to use it effectively. And in all these cases the Macedonian phalanx is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to handle, because the men cannot act either in squads or separately. Product in stock (1) Price €-€ Sort by: Created on Title Title Price Price Product number Product number Created on Created on Products per page 128 128; 68; 32 % Macedonian Phalanx Commander Order.-No. [2] Each syntagma was commanded by a syntagmatarch, who – together with his subordinate officers – would form the first row of each block. Like the Greek phalanx, only those in the front ranks wore body armour, with the most common protection being a helmet for those in the rear. The Macedonian phalanx unlike the traditional Greek Hoplite phalanx was not engineered to defeat its enemy all by itself. As an adjective phalangeal is relating to a phalanx. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Ancient Macedonian Period, although wars had developed into more protracted operations generally involving sieges and naval combat as much as pitched battles, until they were ultimately displaced by the Roman legions. The phalanx evolved. They were two-handed; the smaller shields were slung over the left shoulder. From the hardened Illyrians in the west, to the Greek city states to the south, none could match Philip’s disciplined sarissa-wielding infantry. Many armies of mainland Greece retained hoplite warfare. In June 197, at Cynoscephalae, the Roman commander Titus Quinctus Flamininus overcame the Macedonian king Philip V, and the Greek historian Polybius of Megalopolis concluded that this battle was the best example to show that legions were superior to the phalanx. The Macedonian phalanx was not very different from the Hoplite phalanx of other Greeks states, it was better trained, armed with the sarissa enabling it to outreach its competitors and stave off enemy cavalry, and wore far lighter armor enabling longer endurance and long fast forced marches, including the ability to sprint to close and overwhelm opposing positions and archers. Phalanx vs Digit - What's the difference? The skutatoi formed a line of 15-20 ranks deep, in close order shoulder to shoulder. Greek Warfare > Phalanx. They were covered by half of their shield and half by the soldier next to them's shield. The first line was called the kontarion, the first four lines were made up of skutatoi the remaining three of toxotai. The Macedonian phalanx advantage was protection, but it had disadvantages. Unlike the Greek phalanx they were purely a close-order formation. [6], Each file was led and commanded by a dekadarch who were the most experienced Macedonian soldiers and received about triple pay. The maniple was fluid, with each maniple led by centurions who were encouraged to take initiative and lead by example. In 359 BC, following the Macedonian defeat from the Illyrians, which killed the majority of Macedonia's army and the current King Perdiccas III, Perdiccas' brother Philip II took the throne. [9], "Οι "απόγονοι" της Μακεδονικής φάλαγγας σε Βυζάντιο - Δύση", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macedonian_phalanx&oldid=995709758, Military units and formations of the Hellenistic world, Military units and formations of ancient Greece, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 December 2020, at 13:50. Rushing from there, the Persians developed the sparabara formations. ... An ancient Greek and Macedonian military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears. As nouns the difference between phalanx and phalangeal is that phalanx is a large group of people, animals or things, compact or closely massed, or tightly knit and united in common purpose while phalangeal is (anatomy) a phalange (bone of a finger or toe). phalanx . While no single fighting force has ever not been beat, human history is filled with many strong types of soldier, like the Greek Hoplite. Tried a search but nothing came up. In the foreground, a maniple has exploited a gap in the arrayed pikes of the white shield phalanx. The Macedonian Empire of King Philip II, prior to his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC. The hypaspists, elite infantrymen who served as the king's bodyguard,[7] were stationed on the immediate right of the phalanx wielding hoplite sized spears and shields. Phalanx fighting on a black-figure amphora, c. 560 BC. Unique Phalanx clothing designed and sold by artists for women, men, and everyone. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and other armies. There are historical examples of the Macedonian Phalanx beating the Greek hoplite. The Macedonian Phalanx. It was one of the most successful infantry formations of the ancient world, only rivaled by the manipular formation of the Roman legions. Macedonian phalanx vs. Greek phalanx. The Macedonian Phalanx was built to fight against the Greek Phalanx. The Greek armies of the Hellenistic period mostly fielded troops in the fashion of the Macedonian phalanx. [4] The shield was made of bronze plated wood and was worn hung around the neck so as to free up both hands to wield the sarissa. Games; Referances; Phalanx. Instead of an aspis they had a much smaller shield. Macedon(?) [2] The rest of the file was filled up by more inexperienced soldiers, often Persians during Alexanders Campaign. Peter Connolly captures the action as the phalanx pins and pushes back the Romans on the level ground. 2) Macedonian Phalanx Was Originally Composed of Semi-Nomadic Herders – The Macedonians had one significant advantage over other southern Greek city-states, and that ironically related to ‘simple living’. Classical Greece and Ancient Greek Warfare - (2016) #139: The Feared Macedonian Phalanx A blog about ancient Greek warfare, mythology, archaeology, including the … Die Makedonische Phalanx war eine schwere Infanterieformation von hoher militärgeschichtlicher Bedeutung für die Staaten der antiken hellenistischen Epoche. Als ihr Wegbereiter gilt der makedonische König Philipp II. We have to remember that Alexander’s army only had a small portion of phalangites relative to the rest of the army. Could it have been possible for a traditional Greek Phalanx to defeat the Macedonian phalanx, and win the battle of … The Byzantine skoutatos, heavily armed infantry, carried very long spears of 3,5,4 meters long and trained for battle like the ancient Macedonians. Phalanx vs Phalangeal - What's the difference? Must have been pretty intimidating. WAB Macedonian Phalanx vs. Roman Legion. The Macedonian phalanx wins easily and its not even close regardless of the knight’s equipment, formation, leadership or tactics. The Histories, Book XVIII, Chapters 28-32: In my sixth book I made a promise, still unfulfilled, of taking a fitting opportunity of drawing a comparison between the arms of the Romans and Macedonians, and their respective system of tactics, and pointing out how they differ for better or worse from each other. Every soldier held a 16 cubit spear. However, it would be far easier for the Greek one to turn around and redeploy, drilled or not; that is incontrovertible. The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Achaemenid Empire and other armies. Greco Persian Wars Punic Wars Rome Antique Roman Legion Roman Republic. The Greek Hoplite. The Romans were the first to truly realize the weakness of the phalanx and the Hoplite. Republican Rome vs. These were called sarissas. [2] The phalanx was divided into taxis based on geographical recruitment differences.[2]. Ancient Rome Ancient Greece. These were called sarissas.They were two-handed; the smaller shields were slung over the left shoulder. The last thing to note about the phalanx is its weaknesses. Arising at some point toward the end of the Dark Ages (approximately 800 BCE to 600 B… The major weakness of the phalanx is that it … Greek Phalanx- composed of heavily armored soldiers carrying long spears, shields and short stabbing swords. Phalanxes remained dominant on battlefields throughout the Ancient Macedonian Period, although wars had developed into more protracted operations generally involving sieges and naval combat as much as pitched battles, until they were ultimately displaced by the Roman legions. Greek Soldier; Maniple; Phalanx; What do you think? Each regiment of 256 men of Alexander's experimental phalanx was placed at a depth of 16 scales, of which the men of the first three were armed with sarisses, the men of the next with bows and those of the last again with sarisses. Well, given that Phillip copied the Theban phalanx and made some changes to its equipment, I wouldn't say that the rest of the Greeks were terrified. I'm often asked questions such as this: Like the Greek phalanx, only those in the front ranks wore body armour, with the most common protection being a helmet for those in the rear. [1] The leader was followed by another two experienced Macedonian soldiers, with a third positioned at the very end of the file, all three who received about double pay. Could it have been possible for a traditional Greek Phalanx to defeat the Macedonian phalanx, and win the battle of Chaeronea? Phalanx fighting on a black-figure amphora, c. 560 BC. As a noun digit is a finger or toe. The decisive battle happened on flat ground not too far from the site of Thermopylae. [1] The first phalanx was a 10 by 10 square with very few experienced troops. Discover (and save!) Re: greeks phalanx vs macedonian phalanx? by Jeff Jonas. After the release of Persians, First Legion are pleased to continue to expand our World of the Greeks figure range with an iconic "Macedonian Phalanx". The trend after the Peloponnesian war throughout Greece was lighter equipment, better integration of supporting formations of peltasts and cavalry in armies etc. The man on the far right was left partly exposed so the entire right side was left vulnerable and the most likely to be attacked. Medieval World. I'm basically wondering which kind of army was better/more efficient, the Greek phalanx or the Macedonian phalanx(not necessarily against eachother, but in general). So long as its flanks and rear were protected, the Macedonian phalanx proved unstoppable. For the record, by Greek phalanx I mean hoplites equipped with an aspis, a dory, a xiphos, a bronze cuirass and a Corinthian helmet, and by Macedonian phalanx I mean phalangites equipped with a sarissa, a small shield and … There were always full bronze panoplies mixed with lighter, cheaper panoplies. Or as the wise man said: "Phillip's gold and not Phillip, conquered the cities of Greece". I posted in that thread a link to comments on the Roman maniple vs. Macedonian phalanx issue from Polybius which are most informative. The phalanx therefore presented a shield wall and a mass of spear points to the enemy, making frontal assaults against it very difficult. Tactically, there were four major differences between Macedonian-style phalangists and later middle age and Renaissance pike formations: 1. The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II. Eyewitness testimony, as it were. The weapons of the first five rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spear points than available targets at any given time. The formation was made up of spearmen carrying 18 to 20 ft (5.5–6 m) long spears. Not accounting for cavalry and other forces would force me to speculate. Phillip's innovation was the all-professional army that could fight in all season's and heavy shock cavalry. The Macedonian pike phalanx dominated the battlefields of Greece and the Near and Middle East for over two centuries. The Macedonian success was not due to their phalanx's superiority (with the sarissa pike). 2) Macedonian Phalanx Was Originally Composed of Semi-Nomadic Herders – The Macedonians had one significant advantage over other southern Greek city-states, and that ironically related to ‘simple living’. Its supremacy over the more static armies fielded by the Greek city-states was shown at the Battle of Chaeronea, where Philip II's army crushed the allied Theban and Athenian phalanxes. sie zum Pfeiler seines Eroberungszuges durch Asien machte. Any sources? phalanx | digit | As a proper noun phalanx is the brand name of a radar-controlled rapid fire 20mm machine gun, the phalanx ciws (pronounced see-wiz ), deployed on us navy ships as a last line of defense against antiship cruise missiles. Greek/Macedonian Phalanx. That is one of the main reason that late sparta during it's reforms were changing over there normal hoplites into sarrisa phalanx troops (not completely but some were reformed). In the mighty Phalanx men stood side by side. The last great example of maniple and phalanx battle is found at the battle of Pydna during the third Macedonian war between Rome and Perseus. The sarissae were carried in two pieces before a battle and then slid together when they were being used. Macedonian Phalanx. Macedonian phalanx, pikes up - a still from Oliver Stone's Alexander. [2] Philip's military reforms were a new approach to the current hoplite warfare which focused on their shield, the hoplon; his focus was on a new weapon, the sarissa. The Macedonian pike phalanx dominated the battlefields of Greece and the Near and Middle East for over two centuries. [5] The secondary weapon was a shortsword called a xiphos. As a verb digit is to point at or point out with the finger. The hoplites would lock their shields together, and the first few ranks of soldiers would project their spears out over the first rank of shields. The Roman Maniple vs. Reason being is phalangites were meant to hold the enemy lines in place while heavy horse circled in and smashed the rear or flanks. ), dessen Sohn Alexander der Große († 323 v. Shop our range of T-Shirts, Tanks, Hoodies, Dresses, and more. His army was never a phalanx army armed with the sarissa. The phalanx used the "oblique line with refused left" arrangement, designed to force enemies to engage with soldiers on the furthest right end, increasing the risk of opening a gap in their lines for the cavalry to break through. The last great example of maniple and phalanx battle is found at the battle of Pydna during the third Macedonian war between Rome and Perseus. I know that the Greek phalanx was a "frontal only thing", but so was the Macedonian phalanx. Chr. Its use, however, was reintroduced in Byzantium. 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