How do phalanxes work?

When engaging in battle, the phalanx would form a tight defence and advance towards the enemy. The defence would be held tight by the hoplite shields and greaves which formed a barrier on all sides of the unit. Each soldier was armed with a spear.

How did phalanx fight?

The Greeks and Macedonians fought in a phalanx using 16 foot long pikes with light infantry and cavalry support. The Romans used a combination of rough ground to disorder the phalanx and closed in using battalion sized formations called maniples.

Who created the hoplite phalanx?

The military structure created by the Spartans was a rectangular phalanx formation. The formation was organized from eight to ten rows deep and could cover a front of a quarter of a mile or more if sufficient hoplites were available.

Did Athenians use phalanx?

Facing the much larger army of Darius I, the Athenians thinned out their phalanx and consequently lengthened their front, to avoid being outflanked. However, even a reduced-depth phalanx proved unstoppable to the lightly armed Persian infantry.

Were shields ever useful in Europe?

Shields were considered useful in Europe until the development of full plate armor. Despite the fact that they never had anything comparable to plate armor, shield use was apparently abandoned by t… Stack Exchange Network

Why did the Japanese not use shields?

In reality too actually, Japanese used a lot such as spears, Naginatas, , swords, broad swords, and bows in the course of history. These weapons had definite influence on why Japanese did not use shields ( small or medium or whatever. ) But the problem ( why the shield fell out of favor of Japanese samurai )…

Why did shields get smaller over the years?

As a general rule, shields got smaller as armour got better and became more common. Far from being a secondary defence in melee, shields are not clumsy and are excellent for both attack and defense. As I said, they fell out of use in Europe because improvements in body armour made them superfluous.