Macedonian phalanx

The Macedonian phalanx (Greek: Μακεδονική φάλαγξ) was an infantry formation developed by Philip II from the classical Greek hoplite phalanx, of which the main innovation was the use of the sarissa, a 6-metre pike. It was famously commanded by him during the rise of Macedon between 359 and 336 BC, and by his son Alexander the Great during his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire and campaigns between 336 and 323 BC.

The Macedonian phalanx model then spread throughout the Hellenistic world, where it became the standard battle formation for pitched battles. During the Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC), Roman-Seleucid War (191–188 BC) and Third Macedonian War (171–168 BC) against the Roman Republic, the Hellenistic phalanx, both the Antigonid phalanx and the Seleucid phalanx, appeared less adaptable to changing conditions on the battlefield against the more flexible Roman legions.