Hybrid Phalanx Theory

[WriterNotViking]

I am a fantasy fiction writer, and my stories involve military encounters between armed forces of a technological and organisational level similar to those extant in the 1st- 3rd centuries BC. My question today pertains to the phalanx formation. I believe its main weaknesses are considered to be 1) vulnerability to flank and rear attack due to inflexibility of the formation and 2) vulnerability to close-quarters fighting in event of loss of cohesion in the front lines due to rough terrain or pressure from opposing forces.

What is your opinion on the practicality and effectiveness of replacing the first line of spearmen in a phalanx with sword-armed heavy infantry? As far as I can tell, this would solve two issues: the swordsmen would be able to hold off whatever troops managed to get past the spear points, and they could spread out to cover any gaps that appeared in the line because of rough terrain. A possible disadvantage that occurred to me is that the front line would be limited in their mobility by the spears to either side of each swordsman, but beyond that, I find it hard to envision the potential effectiveness of the concept, or any further objections to its feasibility.

I am fascinated by the amount of knowledge here, and I would appreciate any thoughts on the hybrid phalanx concept, as well as corrections to my understanding of the historical data.

[Aulus Perrinius]

Well the swordsmen with a thureos concept worked for pike and shot formations I would also suggest putting light cavalry on the flanks and putting archers in the rear

[WriterNotViking]

Well the swordsmen with a thureos concept worked for pike and shot formations I would also suggest putting light cavalry on the flanks and putting archers in the rear

Thank you for your reply. When you mention the "thureos concept", are you referring to the Thureophoroi? In what way did that concept apply to later pike and shot formations?

As you say, light troops to cover the flanks are essential elements in a battle formation employing the phalanx.

[Aulus Perrinius]

By thureos I meant as in the light round shield, soldiers with kopis and thureos= Men with swords and bucklers

they relied on the pikes for protection and would sally out and nail the enemy the retreat back to the pikes so the enemy couldn't hit back

BTW if you have stirupps I would suggest you have armoured cavalry with bows as well

[WriterNotViking]

By thureos I meant as in the light round shield, soldiers with kopis and thureos= Men with swords and bucklers

they relied on the pikes for protection and would sally out and nail the enemy the retreat back to the pikes so the enemy couldn't hit back

BTW if you have stirupps I would suggest you have armoured cavalry with bows as well

I see what you mean. This could be described as a reverse application of the concept, where the swordsmen turn to the pikes for protection, rather than the swordsmen protecting the pike formation from infiltration.

[PMBardunias]

What is your opinion on the practicality and effectiveness of replacing the first line of spearmen in a phalanx with sword-armed heavy infantry?

The first line of a phalanx was made up of sword-armed infantry. Each phalangite was simply a broken sarissa away from being a swordsman. The fact that the few times we read of sarissaphoroi having to use their swords against Romans they get chopped up shouldn't cloud the fact that they would have been capable swordsmen. When the phalanx was breached they went to the sword. When an enemy forced his way past the hedge of spear points he was surely met by a phalangite who dropped his sarissa and drew his sword, rather than a man who died holding a now useless sarissa.

[Aulus Perrinius]

By thureos I meant as in the light round shield, soldiers with kopis and thureos= Men with swords and bucklers

they relied on the pikes for protection and would sally out and nail the enemy the retreat back to the pikes so the enemy couldn't hit back

BTW if you have stirupps I would suggest you have armoured cavalry with bows as well

I see what you mean. This could be described as a reverse application of the concept, where the swordsmen turn to the pikes for protection, rather than the swordsmen protecting the pike formation from infiltration.

Actually that tactic was used several times, however protecting the pikes from infiltration is also a good idea, you mentioned that they would have a problem with mobility however if someone did get between the pikes to face the swordsmen they would also have the same problem I would also suggest a line of men (and women if they're allowed in your army) with rhomphaias (Thracian style) and some Polyboloi

Here is a list I made (Just a thought)

Kataphraktoi: the elite shock arm. Iron, linothorax and maille cuirasses and iron greaves, iron vambraces, iron helm, twenty foot lance, javelins, shield, macheira, mace, and bow (with poisoned iron arrowheads) (If this a fantasy perhaps they also know a little magic?)

Horse (15-16 hands) Iron peytral, spiked iron chanfron with eye pieces, and maille crinet, maille for the belly, high saddle with the new stirupps, iron horseshoes that protect the inside of the horses hooves from caltrops, armoured reins, Linothorax for the flanks and Maille for the legs

Sarissaphoroi: Bronze breast plate, Linothrorax cuirass, greaves, fourteen foot sarissa, xiphos, shield

Rhomphaiaoi/Kopisoi: Linothorax maille and bronze cuirasses, helm, greaves, vambraces thureos, rhomphaia or kopis

Peltasts: Linothorax, helm, doru, kopis

Toxotai: kopis, helm, leather cuirass, longbow or sling

Psiloi: helm, javelins, kopis

Light Cavalry: Linothorax, helm, Macheira, javelins, and bow, armoured reins

Polyboloi operators: helm and kopis

Polybolos can fire either stones, fire pots or rocks

Medics: Healing powers, Kopis, medical paraphrenalia of your choice

Mages (if you have them) kopis and macheira, horse or chariot, various magical paraphrenalia

BTW the ruler should be pretty heavy weight in magic so the mages don't get ambitious

NOTES: all soldiers have iron weapons and arrowheads they also have uniforms and bright ribbons on their arms to distinguish them from the enemy, (except the psiloi they wear greens and browns)

Like I said just a thought

[Sean Manning]

What is your opinion on the practicality and effectiveness of replacing the first line of spearmen in a phalanx with sword-armed heavy infantry?

That could work, but it would probably have disadvantages. Several I can think of include:
- Space requirements. Polybius states that a swordsman needs twice as much width (4 cubits) as a pikeman (2 cubits) to fight effectively. You can pack swordsmen into 2 cubits per man without hambering them too badly, but what if the pikemen want to close up to 'locked shields' with 1 cubit per file?
- Reduced reach. The front rank of another pike phalanx would be able to strike the front rank of the composite phalanx before the second rank of the composite phalanx could strike back.
- Complexity. Now you have to train two types of heavy infantry (and supply replacements as men die, retire, sicken, or get promoted). And if you want to detach your swordsmen on a seperate mission, you're breaking up fighting uints. Training your pikemen to defend themselves with swords at close range would be easier.
- A spear phalanx would end up with a thinner, shorter hedge of spikes to keep cavalry off.

Complicated mixed formations did get used, so I don't see anything wrong with one in a fantasy setting, but they don't seem to have been much more effecive than traditional ones. I think Machiavelli suggested backing a pike formation with sword-and-buckler men who would move forward after the initial clash, and Arrian and Xenophon suggested backing a shallow phalanx with archers and javelin men to throw over the heads of the front ranks.

[WriterNotViking]

The first line of a phalanx was made up of sword-armed infantry. Each phalangite was simply a broken sarissa away from being a swordsman. The fact that the few times we read of sarissaphoroi having to use their swords against Romans they get chopped up shouldn't cloud the fact that they would have been capable swordsmen. When the phalanx was breached they went to the sword. When an enemy forced his way past the hedge of spear points he was surely met by a phalangite who dropped his sarissa and drew his sword, rather than a man who died holding a now useless sarissa.

Thank you for your reply. You raise a very interesting point. My pikemen are professional soldiers, trained to fight both with the pike and the sword. Therefore, why not deploy a traditional phalanx, but ensure that your men are sufficiently well trained to switch to an alternate form of combat when required? This way, you retain the extra line of pikes that would be lost if dedicated swordsmen would be placed at the front.

I believe this may be the best solution.

[WriterNotViking]

Actually that tactic was used several times, however protecting the pikes from infiltration is also a good idea, you mentioned that they would have a problem with mobility however if someone did get between the pikes to face the swordsmen they would also have the same problem I would also suggest a line of men (and women if they're allowed in your army) with rhomphaias (Thracian style) and some Polyboloi

Here is a list I made (Just a thought)

Kataphraktoi: the elite shock arm. Iron, linothorax and maille cuirasses and iron greaves, iron vambraces, iron helm, twenty foot lance, javelins, shield, macheira, mace, and bow (with poisoned iron arrowheads) (If this a fantasy perhaps they also know a little magic?)

Horse (15-16 hands) Iron peytral, spiked iron chanfron with eye pieces, and maille crinet, maille for the belly, high saddle with the new stirupps, iron horseshoes that protect the inside of the horses hooves from caltrops, armoured reins, Linothorax for the flanks and Maille for the legs

Sarissaphoroi: Bronze breast plate, Linothrorax cuirass, greaves, fourteen foot sarissa, xiphos, shield

Rhomphaiaoi/Kopisoi: Linothorax maille and bronze cuirasses, helm, greaves, vambraces thureos, rhomphaia or kopis

Peltasts: Linothorax, helm, doru, kopis

Toxotai: kopis, helm, leather cuirass, longbow or sling

Psiloi: helm, javelins, kopis

Light Cavalry: Linothorax, helm, Macheira, javelins, and bow, armoured reins

Polyboloi operators: helm and kopis

Polybolos can fire either stones, fire pots or rocks

Medics: Healing powers, Kopis, medical paraphrenalia of your choice

Mages (if you have them) kopis and macheira, horse or chariot, various magical paraphrenalia

BTW the ruler should be pretty heavy weight in magic so the mages don't get ambitious

NOTES: all soldiers have iron weapons and arrowheads they also have uniforms and bright ribbons on their arms to distinguish them from the enemy, (except the psiloi they wear greens and browns)

Like I said just a thought

Thank you for your thoughts in this. Due to the epic nature of my fiction project, I will end up having to develop many different civilisations with their own unique military organisations. This is a challenge, but an enjoyable one, and insightful suggestions such as you have provided add significantly to my ability to create realistic military forces.

[WriterNotViking]

That could work, but it would probably have disadvantages. Several I can think of include:
- Space requirements. Polybius states that a swordsman needs twice as much width (4 cubits) as a pikeman (2 cubits) to fight effectively. You can pack swordsmen into 2 cubits per man without hambering them too badly, but what if the pikemen want to close up to 'locked shields' with 1 cubit per file?

I appreciate your thoughts on the idea. This is certainly an issue to consider. Perhaps large shields would limit the reduction of space necessary to achieve the effect of locked shields?

- Reduced reach. The front rank of another pike phalanx would be able to strike the front rank of the composite phalanx before the second rank of the composite phalanx could strike back.

A very real concern that had not yet occurred to me.

- Complexity. Now you have to train two types of heavy infantry (and supply replacements as men die, retire, sicken, or get promoted). And if you want to detach your swordsmen on a seperate mission, you're breaking up fighting uints. Training your pikemen to defend themselves with swords at close range would be easier.

I failed to give additional details on which aspects of the army I had already developed. It consists of professional soldiers, trained to fulfill one of several specific roles. The question I posted is in regards to the heavy infantry of the army, who are trained to fight with both the pike and the sword. Your final conclusion here is one that sounds most effective to me.

- A spear phalanx would end up with a thinner, shorter hedge of spikes to keep cavalry off.

Another point I had not considered.

Complicated mixed formations did get used, so I don't see anything wrong with one in a fantasy setting, but they don't seem to have been much more effecive than traditional ones. I think Machiavelli suggested backing a pike formation with sword-and-buckler men who would move forward after the initial clash, and Arrian and Xenophon suggested backing a shallow phalanx with archers and javelin men to throw over the heads of the front ranks.

The historical references here are very interesting. My own Google searches had found little of value, certainly no sources of any kind that debate the potential of mixing other unit types into the phalanx. While reading through older topics on this forum, I found a thread that covered a different application of the concept, but did not yield the answers I sought. The fact that contemporary writers felt the idea had merit, in addition to the insightful replies you have given me, reassures me that there is sufficient grounds to believe a fictional military organisation could, in principal, adopt such a tactic.

[PMBardunias]

Therefore, why not deploy a traditional phalanx, but ensure that your men are sufficiently well trained to switch to an alternate form of combat when required? This way, you retain the extra line of pikes that would be lost if dedicated swordsmen would be placed at the front.

One thing that seems to come out of the various conversations I have had on sarissaphoroi is that they are very different from medieval pikemen. On the most fundamental level, they all have shields. Contrary to the popular portrayal, these shields could be quite large- approaching the size of a smaller hoplite shield. Thus in terms of arms they would look like heavy swordsmen. In reality they were not trained to tactics that favored the sword.

I don't know how you plan to use these men in the story, but perhaps there could be a trained corps that drop their sarissa and move to infiltrate the enemy pike hedge (unliky to work in reality, but never underestimate the value of suprise). One famous incident wherein the hedge of pikes was breached was when the Spartan strategoi Cleonymus had his first rank men drop their sarissa and simply grab the sarissa of his enemies. This allowed others to move between them while the two struggled in a tug-o-war.

[Phalanx300]

I don't know how you plan to use these men in the story, but perhaps there could be a trained corps that drop their sarissa and move to infiltrate the enemy pike hedge (unliky to work in reality, but never underestimate the value of suprise). One famous incident wherein the hedge of pikes was breached was when the Spartan strategoi Cleonymus had his first rank men drop their sarissa and simply grab the sarissa of his enemies. This allowed others to move between them while the two struggled in a tug-o-war.

Interesting, do you now mean the Spartan king Cleomenes the third at the battle of Sellasia?

And how did they get past the other 4 ranks of Sarrisa's(when they grabbed the Sarissa of the front rank)?

[WriterNotViking]

One thing that seems to come out of the various conversations I have had on sarissaphoroi is that they are very different from medieval pikemen. On the most fundamental level, they all have shields. Contrary to the popular portrayal, these shields could be quite large- approaching the size of a smaller hoplite shield. Thus in terms of arms they would look like heavy swordsmen. In reality they were not trained to tactics that favored the sword.

This was my understanding as well. Thus I am led to wonder what the value would be of pikemen trained well to fight with the sword. Could a battle like Pydna have ended differently if the Macedonian phalangites had been able to hold back the Romans once they closed the distance?

I don't know how you plan to use these men in the story, but perhaps there could be a trained corps that drop their sarissa and move to infiltrate the enemy pike hedge (unliky to work in reality, but never underestimate the value of suprise). One famous incident wherein the hedge of pikes was breached was when the Spartan strategoi Cleonymus had his first rank men drop their sarissa and simply grab the sarissa of his enemies. This allowed others to move between them while the two struggled in a tug-o-war.

The inspiration for the idea (or at least my incarnation of it; I realise the concept itself is far from original) came from the difficulties faced by a phalanx engaged with swordsmen. The pike hedge is difficult to get through, but once this is accomplished, the phalangites are virtually defenceless. I hoped for a system that would allow the first line of the phalanx more freedom of lateral movement, so they could spread out to cover any gaps that might appear in the formation, while at the same time possessing the skill and training to match dedicated swordsmen in close combat.

I have been unable to find any information on the event you reference here. Could you give me the name of the battle, so I can read more about it?

[Phalanx300]

Well when the Romans faced the Makedonian Phalanxes those were for the biggest part made up of Levy Phalangites who were called for in the army because of the Roman treat.(levy in name only). The Pezhetairoi on the other hand would be a professional Phalangite soldier, I think that they would make a average quality swordsmen when engaged, far from defenseless.