It is unknown who created the phalanx, but since it was already depicted on the Sumerian Stele of the Vultures (c.a. 2500 BC), where the Sumerian king Eannatum was depicted using it, it is known that the phalanx is extremely old. The term itself was first coined by Homer, who used it to distinguish between duels of individual people and the phalanx as a typical formation where soldiers move in groups.
The phalanx presented a shield wall and a mass of spear points to the enemy, making frontal assaults against it very difficult. It also allowed a higher proportion of the soldiers to be actively engaged in combat at a given time (rather than just those in the front rank). Because of its efficiency, it was used by nearly all major ancient civilizations in battle.
spam fails_task lang_mismatch pii not_appropriate hate_speech sexual_content quality toxicity humor helpfulness creativity violence