The most successful strategy on the ancient battlefield was using hoplites in a tight formation called the phalanx. Each man protected both himself and partially his neighbour with his large circular shield, carried on his left arm.

What was the Greek fighting style?

Pankration, as practiced in historical antiquity, was an athletic event that combined techniques of both boxing (pygmē/pygmachia – πυγμή/πυγμαχία) and wrestling (palē – πάλη), as well as additional elements, such as the use of strikes with the legs, to create a broad fighting sport similar to today’s mixed martial arts

What strategies did the Greeks use?

Naval Tactics

  • Battle formations. In open sea, the Greek navy would sail in an upside-down ship formation, led by the commander’s ship.
  • Diekplous. The diekplous was an ancient Greek naval operation used to infiltrate the enemy’s line-of-battle.
  • Periplous.
  • Ramming.
  • Shearing.
  • Marines and archers.


What formation did the Greeks use in battle?

phalanx, in military science, tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder in files several ranks deep. Fully developed by the ancient Greeks, it survived in modified form into the gunpowder era and is viewed today as the beginning of European military development.

What made ancient Greek fighters so powerful?

Fighting in the tight phalanx formation maximised the effectiveness of his armor, large shield and long spear, presenting a wall of armor and spear points to the enemy. They were a force to be reckoned with.

How did Greek warriors fight?

In battle, hoplites fought as a team. They lined up in ranks and locked their shields together with just their spears pointing over the top. This formation was known as a ‘phalanx’. A hoplite had to pay for his armour himself, unless his father was killed in battle.

Why was the phalanx so effective?

The shields afforded less protection but gave the formation the advantage of greater mobility in that, without the interlocking large shields, the phalanx could outmaneuver an opposing force more easily.

Did Spartans use phalanx?

The coalition army arranged one city’s phalanx next to its neighbor in one long line. On the Spartan side, the six Spartan “regiments” were joined by their allies and more informal groups of Spartans in a matching line of phalanxes (see Mantinea map, ‘Stage One’).

What formation did the Spartans fight in?

Armies and Tactics: Greek Armies during the Persian Invasions

What strategy did the Greeks use to win the Trojan War?

The Greeks build a giant wooden horse, hide in it, and attack the city when the Trojans bring the horse within their walls. This retelling of the famous trick that won the Trojan war will help children come to know and understand the classical story made famous by Homer’s Iliad.

What technique helped the Greeks build their empire?



Greek military leaders trained the heavily armed hoplite soldiers to fight in a massive formation called a phalanx: standing shoulder to shoulder, the men were protected by their neighbor’s shield. This intimidating technique played an important role in the Persian Wars and helped the Greeks build their empire.

What are the top 3 Greek innovations?

10 Ancient Greek Inventions & Discoveries Still Used Today

  • Modern Philosophy.
  • Earliest practice of medicine.
  • Basis of Geometry.
  • Olympics.
  • Cartography. Harley and Woodward’s History of Cartography.
  • Alarm clock. Ancient Greek Alarm clock.
  • Odometer. The odometer by Vitruvius and Heron.
  • Water mill. Hydraulic wheel of Perachora.

What was the strategy of Athens and Sparta?

In contrast to the Athenian grand strategy of exhaustion, based on Athens’s economic power, Sparta followed a grand strategy of annihilation centered around Spartan military might.

What strategy did the Athenians use?

Initially Athens’ strategy, as guided by Pericles, was to avoid open battle with the more numerous, and better trained Spartan hoplites, and to instead rely on Athens’ superior fleet. As a result, Athens’ fleet went on the offensive, winning a victory at Naupactus.

How did Sparta intend to win the war?



The Spartan slogan for that period was “Freedom for the Greeks,” and its stated aim was to liberate the states under Athenian rule by destroying its defenses and dismantling its structure.