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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheDarkLord" data-source="post: 1701588" data-attributes="member: 22512">The spears in the phalanx that Alexander the great used were thick heavy 20 foot long skewering blades.  They were inferior in hand to hand combat per say, but fro breaking charges they couldnt be beat.  The first 5 rows of soldiers held their spears straight forward with "One" hand.  They were mainly used to skewer charging horsemen for the most part.  The farther back in the rank you were you held your spear slightly elevated.  and the men in the very back rows held their spears straight up.  Doing so allowed you to deflect incoming javalin attacks and the like with the spears, while protecting the men from attacks of volleys of arrows.  The shields the hoplights carried were neither very big nor very heavy, if anything they were there only to deflect arrows, a sword for the most part could sunder the shield.  I don't think it would be a very good martial weapon just because it's primary use was a charge breaker and when that happened the men in the back ranks used their spears to jab those who did close with the front ranks.   Brutal way of fighting but effective.</blockquote>