There were several different arrangements, the phalanx varying in depth from four to twenty-five or more ranks of men
A phalanx of people is a large group who are brought together for a particular purpose. a phalanx of waiters. phalanxes a large group of people or things standing close together so that it is difficult to go through them phalanx of. Tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder in files several ranks deep. First used by the Sumerians and fully developed by the ancient Greeks, it is viewed today as the beginning of European military development. The Greek city-states adopted a phalanx eight men deep during the 7th century BC. The spectacle of Greek hoplites marching forward in solid ranks was frightening to the enemy, but the phalanx was difficult to maneuver and easily thrown into confusion if its ranks were broken