men strong) or the ("sworn" and made up by 2–4 , totaling up to 32 men), both led by a who was assisted by a and two (sing. ). Four to a maximum of 32 (depending on the era in question or the city) formed a lochos led by a lochagos, who in this way was in command of initially a hundred hoplites to a maximum of around five hundred in the late Hellenistic armies. Here, it has to be noted that the military manuals of Asclepiodotus and Aelian use the term to denote a file in the phalanx. A (mora for the Spartans) was the greatest standard hoplitic formation of five to fifteen hundred, led by a strategos (general). The entire army, a total of several or was led by a generals' council. The commander-in-chief was usually called a or a . Phalanx front and depth Hoplite phalanxes usually deployed in ranks of eight men or more deep; the Macedonian phalanxes were usually 16 men deep, sometimes reported to have been arrayed 32 men deep. There are some notable extremes; at the battles of Leuctra and Mantinea, the Theban general Epaminondas arranged the left wing of the phalanx into a "hammerhead" of fifty ranks of elite hoplites deep (see below) and when depth was less important, phalanxes just four deep are recorded, as at the battle of Marathon. The phalanx depth could vary depending on the needs of the moment and plans of the general. While the phalanx was in march, an formation (loose, meaning literally "in depth") was adopted in order to move more freely and maintain order. This was also the initial battle formation as, in addition, it permitted friendly units to pass through whether assaulting or retreating. In this status, the phalanx had twice the normal depth and each hoplite had to occupy about in width. When enemy infantry was approaching, a rapid switch to the (spelled also ) formation (dense or tight formation) was necessary. In that case, each man's space was halved and the formation depth returned to normal. An even denser formation, the or (ultra-tight or locked shields formation), was used when the phalanx was expected to experience extra pressure, intense missile volleys or frontal cavalry charges. In , the rank depth was half that of a normal phalanx and the width each man occupied was as small as . Stages of combat