MAKING THEM LONGER AND DEEPER

The two most important military reforms in the first half of the fourth century BC were, arguably, the lengthening of the spear and the deepening of the phalanx. These would coalesce in the Macedonian phalanx of the second half of the century with its long sarissae and a regular phalanx depth of sixteen ranks. In the first part of the fourth century BC, however, other combinations and reforms were investigated.

Murray Dahm

The depth of hoplite phalanxes had always fluctuated depending upon circumstances, the number of available men, and the formations of each city. The depth of phalanxes could range from eight ranks to 50. Thucydides tells us that at the battle of Mantinea, in 418 BC, each Spartan lochos had a different depth, based on the wishes of its commander. Only the average depth came out to a depth of eight ranks (Thucydides, 5.68.1–3). Although some cities did not change the depth of their formations, by the end of the fourth century the Macedonian-style phalanx with its depth of sixteen ranks had become dominant. The lengthening of the spear The adoption of the long sarissa by Philip II and his Macedonian army may have come from the reforms of the Athenian…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XVIII.1

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