Sources for scenarios . . .

[TheGrayMouser]

Both overhand and underhand spear thrusts are at least awkward to be made in a mob franatically pressing against each-other. The same for the downward killing blows.

Yet, both overhand and underhand spear thrusts were reported/depicted as being used. Same for the back ranks downward killing blows (with the but of the spear in an underhand grip).

Which means they actually were employed and could be done, which means the othismos/pressing of the phalanx was not really as we are perceiving it today (neither in form and/or duration).

Another thing coming to support his is the fact that, as both overhand and underhand thrusts were used in the phalanx warfare, no one seems to ask himself until now how the change of the grip could be made with only one hand in the phalanx formation condition. And my personal answer is that it wasn't! I wanted to write and article about this, but never found the time. The hoplites were not actually changing grip, they were just thrusting with the spear's point when they needed forward underarm thrusts, with the butt when needed forward overarm thrusts or downward underarm thrusts.

And yet another misconception, again supporting the no-othismos fight of the phalanxes' first ranks, is the drifting towards right. My opinion is that it wasn't done looking for a better cover from the neighbor's shield (it did, but in a much smaller measure) as for the natural tendency of a man walking on a flat field to drift right/left due to the fact that the left and right feet muscles are not exactly of the same power and mostly to the fact that the right flank was phalanxe's most vulnerable flank (the famous nonshielded side), and all the phalanxes drifted to the right in order to secure/prevent envelopments on this flank.

I think that the phalanx was actually fighting in a more opened order than is thought (remember for example the famous Chiqi vase, which actually might not be so abstract, than rather realistic, about phalanxe's crash), with the first ranks having enough space to employ both over and under arm thrusts, and the rest of the ranks the downward ones. This would also allow rank rotation (which would make the greater deep phalanxes actually better than shallower ones). The fight will be transformed into othismos towards the end, when niether side had enough power in arms to continue employing spear thrusts.

There is much to discuss about this, and these 3 statements I made above were not made anywhere else, or by any other ancient military historian. I am planning to write an extended article/book about this personal new classical phalanx warfare theory, but as always, not had enough free time

Thats is an incredibly interesting point of using the blade ie front, for underhand, and the back point (forget what it is called) for overhand strikes. I alway suumed it was nice to just have a back up point in case the spear broke;)

[stockwellpete]

Enough about hoplites, I tell you!

Another good place to find information about battles is if the site has a visitor centre - many of them do and their websites usually refer to all the various theories and research about the battle that took place there.