| Show A Iha phalanx A phalanx in the military affairs of greece was a square battalion or body of soldiers formed in ranks and files filea compact and deep with their shields joined and pikes crossing each other so as to render it almost impossible to break it at first the phalanx consist consisted ed of men but rt this number was afterward doubled by philip of macedon and the double phalanx is 13 hence often called the macedonian phalanx poly bins describes it thus taw it was a square of pi pil kemen remen consisting of sixteen in rank flank and in front the soldiers stood so close together that tha t the pikes of the fiat fifth h rank ei extended tended three feet beyond the front the rest whose pikes were not serviceable owing to their distance from the front r couched them upon the shoulders of those who stood bea before r them and so locking them together in file pressed forward to support and push on the former rank by which means the assault was rendered nore violent and irresistible the spears apeci s of those behind also stopped the missi missiles lesof of the enespy eneid y each mans pike was twenty three feet long the no word phalanx is also used for any bombina com bina tion of deop people le distinguished for solidity and firmness A grand Plia phalanx condit d of men brooklyn eagle gle |
