Symmerian phalanx

The Symmerian Phalanx was an infantry formation used by the Ancient Symmerian army and its successors, the Symmerian Khanate and the Rioni Union, from roughly the 4th Century BCE to the 18th Century CE. It was derived from the hoplite phalanx of the Kydonian League during the age of Classical Syara, and diverged in the 3rd Century, most notably with the adoption of the six-meter long Sarissa pike and its subsequent usage by Orestes II to form the Symmerian Empire. The Sarissa remained in use until the 4th and 5th Centuries CE, when it was gradually replaced by a variety of polearms following the Symmerian Recession. The final iteration of the phalanx as a pike formation emerged following the conquest of Symmeria by the Adamdar Empire, and it continued to see usage up until the mass adoption of firearms and the combination of the musket and bayonet by the Army of the Rioni Union in the 17th Century. Throughout its' heyday the phalanx was a symbol of Symmerian military might and was employed against a wide array of opponents. The phalanx encapsulated the organized and corporate form of warfare emblematic of Hellenic Syara and was predicated on usage by highly trained professional soldiers, a sharp contrast to the vast levy and conscript armies typically fielded by the Symmerian army. The soldiers of the phalanx, known as phalangites, were often the only ethnically Symmerian soldiers in ancient Symmerian armies. The term phalanx remains in use in modern Syara as a term for a strong-bonded or resolute force or group.

Origin

Formations of infantry armed with spears and large shields had been a staple of many armies across Bronze Age Siduri, most notably with the Naharin and to a lesser extent the Erani. The combination of spear and shield provided benefits both physically and psychologically; large, circular shields could be overlapped into a close-ranked shield wall to absorb charges and melee attacks, while the distance of engagement afforded by the spear and the knowledge one was fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with comrades helped reinforce morale amid the chaos and rancor of battle. The introduction of this brand of warfare was likely inserted into Archaic Syara via relations with the Erani and was adopted into the tribes that would eventually form the Kydonian League. This form of warfare largely superseded the traditional war fighting traditions of the Aleitians, which had emphasized sword-wielding light infantry.

The term phalanx first originated to describe any formation of soldiers fighting as a unit, to distinguish it from the singular combat often highlighted in Kydonian epic and traditional story telling. The term hoplite also entered into common usage shortly afterwards, derived from the term hoplon, which originally referred to the entire body of armor utilized by the soldiers of the phalanx. It was only after several centuries of use and amid changes to armor that hoplon came to refer to the actual shield itself. The dominance of hoplite warfare in the Kydonian League was driven mostly by terrain; small bands of heavy infantry in a close-ranked formation were ideal for safeguarding and protecting vital valleys, canyons, ridges and hilltops amid rugged terrain versus cavalry. In its earliest iteration the Kydonian phalanx was not a singular formation of hoplites standing shoulder-to-shoulder, but instead a mixed array of missile troops and hoplites, who would close and open ranks in order to allow for missile fire from within the phalanx.

Over time the missile troops receded from the phalanx and became their own formations. Why and how remains disputed, but the common consensus among historians is that external threats and finances played a major role. As the Kydonian League grew wealthier, the citizen-soldiers who formed the phalanx could afford more and superior armor; bronze breastplates, reinforced shields, greaves, and gauntlets. The biggest threat to the Kydonians remained the Bastarnae; although often depicted with an emphasis on their variety of curved blades and weapons, archeological evidence and the written record indicate the Bastarnae were missile troops first and foremost. Bastarne tactics typically involved extensive missile fire of arrows, slings, javelins, even axes and blades, followed by a frightful charge accompanied by extensive whistling, chanting, and screaming meant to scare the enemy into fleeing before the assault. The increased Kydonian emphasis on heavy armor was likely driven as a response to this, as better armored troops would be more likely to survive the missile exchange and brace for the ensuing melee.

As the Kydonian League descended into civil war and unrest over the latter half of its' existence armies of hoplites frequently engaged one another. Battles between similar classes of heavy infantry often resulted in what the Kydonians termed the Othismos, a "pushing match". Because of the similar capabilities among different Kydonian city states, hoplite battles were often slow, grinding affairs as both sides quite literally attempted to "push" one another back, with the heavy armor and deep ranks of both sides preventing significant breaks or ruptures among the line. Various tactical evolution occurred between Kydonian city-states as a result of this persistent balance of power, but a declining political and socio-econimic environment stifled proper doctrinal development and military education.

Development and usage

The Symmerians themselves were something of an enigma to the Kydonians. They were, on paper, a Hellenic people, but of notably different customs and attitudes. Although partially nestled into the northern Syaran highlands much of Symmerian laid among the flatter coastal plains, allowing for the raising of horses and cavalry in far greater numbers than the Kydonians. At the same time, more limited access to bronze and iron prevented the Symmerians from outfitting their soldiers and handsomely as those of Kydonia. This, combined with a need to remain more maneuverable in the wider spaces of Symmerian lands, led to the development of the linothorax or "linen body armor, utilizing intertwined cloth layers to provide protection rather than bronze or iron. Despite its softer materials the linothorax proved to add similar levels of protection to bronze armor, while being cheaper and lighter. Linothorax likely originated in Symmeria, but spread relatively rapidly through Syara, although bronze remained a prized armor in Kydonia, especially among the wealthier states due to its greater resilience to wear and tear.

The most significant tactical development of the Symmerian phalanx however was the sarissa, a six meter long spear that replaced the two meter long Kydonian spear, the dory. The sarissa offered a number of new advantages; the greater length afforded greater distance from the enemy, while also allowing ranks behind the front line of soldiers to bring their spear points to bear, creating what many ancient writers described as a "thick forest of spears". Behind the first several ranks of leveled spears, the middle ranks would angle their sarissas so as to provide additional protection from enemy missile fire. Because of its length, the sarissa' had to be wielded with two hands, forcing the men of the Symmerian phalanx to shed the larger aspis (shield) of the hoplite for a lighter variant that was wrapped around the neck and shoulders. Wearing the lighter linothorax, protected by the front and above by a wall of elongated spears, the Symmerian phalangite was better prepared for combat than many of his contemporaries, especially those of the Kydonian League.

When Orestes II ascended the throne of Ancient Symmeria he set out almost immediately to incorporate all of Syara into his domain, beginning with the remnants of the Kydonian League. Compared to the drawn out "pushing matches" of Kydonian armies, the encounters between the Kydonians and their Symmerian usurpers were rapid and violent. Unable to withstand the Symmerian phalanx, the Kydonians were rapidly broken and incorporated into Symmeria.