The Makedonian phalanx -- why such depth?

[Paralus]

Oh dear......

We have here an attempt to ridicule, rather than reason, but if we take away the hyperbole of terms such ‘rush forward’ and ‘rushes back’ ‘Usain Bolts’ etc, the first part is inherently probable – that the Phalanx began in ‘open/normal’ order sixteen deep, then closed to ‘close order’ eight deep as it advanced, and finally formed ‘locked shields’ four deep.

However it must be plain to anyone that they didn’t reform ‘open’ order to let the chariots through since a four-horse chariot is rather wider than the three foot gap between soldiers in ‘open’ order !!

I didn't have you pegged as a singularly humourless, personality-free zone “Old Man”. Be that as is may…

If you are going to take a sarisa to my logic you need – at the very least – to follow your own logic as expressed, constantly, on this thread. To whit:

It is my belief ( for reasons too complex to explain in a brief post) that Greek authors always described depths in 'open' order - 6 feet per man frontage ( which the authors of the Hellenistic manuals call 'normal' order, hence having no special name.) It was this 'open/normal' order in which the Phalanx, pike or spear armed, carried out battlefield manoeuvres .

It is patently clear – as I have related – that to perform these manoeuvres the phalanx cannot be “closed up” (3’ per man) but must be in “open order”. Files (funnily enough, just like Stone portrayed them) stepping to each side and creating the "alley". Therefore the Usain Bolts – armed – have performed 42nd Street in chorus line timing.

In fact, our sources describe something rather different. Arrian says they were largely countered by the Agrianes and Thracian javelin-men who formed the usual light infantry screen ahead of the Phalanx.

This is, I'm afraid, plain wrong. No source has the Agrianes as a "screen ahead of the Phalanx" (Curtius has them as cavary coming to Alexander's aid!!). I'm afraid you've misread the accounts of the battle. Ditto the "Thracian javelin men".

These accounts can be reconciled somewhat. I believe that the Phalanx probably did get down to a four deep ‘synaspismos’, and since our sources speak of “breaking formation” and “wide gaps” – hence certainly not the normal drill movements - we can envisage the line ‘splitting’ in front and folding back each side of the split at right-angles to create a gap, perhaps some 10-20 yards wide, whenever a chariot broke through the light infantry screen. This would create a corridor lined each side for 5-10 yards by close-packed phalangites.

This is interesting. Care to explain how this functioned? A phalanx in synaspismos ‘splitting’ in front and folding back each side of the split at right-angles to create a gap? And “ramparts” in a four deep formation?? The description of the action in the Vulgate does not give the Macedonians the Kinks' "Lazy Sunday Afternoon" in which to execute this 'not quite' parade ground drill.

You are disappearing up your own fundamental here….