[split] Phalanx warfare: use of the spear

[Bryan]

Phillip was never mentioned as an author of a Pike Phalanx.. Alexander is (not the Great one)

Diodorus Siculus 16.3.1 says you're wrong. 
"The Macedonians because of the disaster sustained in the battle and the magnitude of the dangers pressing upon them were in the greatest perplexity. Yet even so, with such fears and dangers threatening them, Philip was not panic-stricken by the magnitude of the expected perils, but, bringing together the Macedonians in a series of assemblies and exhorting them with eloquent speeches to be men, he built up their morale, and, having improved the organization of his forces and equipped the men suitably with weapons14 of war, he held constant manoeuvres of the men under arms and competitive drills. 2 Indeed he devised the compact order and the equipment of the phalanx, imitating the close order fighting with overlapping shields of the warriors at Troy"
source






"and your example from a war, tell me, how exactly were Iraqi insurgents capable in close combat? I guess not so much, yet i really doubt anybody was there running around fighting them hand to hand just because they were not good at it..."

They sucked for the most part. Which is why whenever we had the chance we got nice and close with them and killed them. Often they used the maximum standoff range of GPMGs and RPGs to keep the majority of US forces outside of our squad organic maximum weapon systems. The point was that both sides new what their enemy were good at and what they weren't, and both sides tried to exploit that. Yours and Matthew's hoplite model has a major flaw in it that is easy to exploit in a way that hoplites are known to have done, get close. 

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that sounds a bit strange, considering usually king, or general was in the front rank.. if entire rank is killed, i'd guess remaining would rather flee away than continue  (but of course, this is Sparta ..  btw, didnt Leonidas die during second day, or was it third? (dont remember)

i think that Thermopylae are not a good example as Persians were not fighting in a Hoplite phalanx..


and for Pydna, 500 was the high figure , seen also 200 mentioned by Polybios and Livy (if I remember it right)

Spartan kings died in battle all the time. besides which, the math is telling you its right. 5% of 300 is 15 total casualties, 10% is 30 casualties. There are 75 hoplites in the front rank, they would be the ones wounded, either them or the second ranks. Out of 150 men in the front and second rank, 15 total casualties means ten percent of the first two ranks are dead and wounded, or 20% of each individual rank, and with 30 total casualties means 20 percent dead or wounded, or 40% of each individual rank. Individually, promachoi would suffer more grevious casualties by far, so they'd have heavier numbers. Ranks 3-4 would barely suffer at all, besides from missile weapons or during the rout (but these numbers are assuming the side described wins).