LONG ANSWER The phalanx helped make the Macedonian infantry an unstoppable force on the battleground. e formation, developed after Philip II came to the throne in 359 BC and used to ‘great’ e ect by his son Alexander, consisted of a densely packed square of 256 soldiers, formed of 16x16 lines, each thrusting a pike forward to form an impenetrable forest of spear tips. Despite being slow to manoeuvre and unprotected at its flanks, the phalanx was the most advanced formation in ancient warfare and held sway over the Hellenistic world for centuries, until the arrival of the Romans and their legions.