A Question of the Illiad

[rotorgun]

According to Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World 3000 BC - 500 AD, a project book, edited by Charles Catton, Published by Dunne Books, NY,copyright 2002:

The phalanx, a body of infantry fighting in close order with pikes or thrusting spears, is one of the oldest formations in warfare. The word is Greek, meaning "roller", and the phalanx is associated closely with the Armies of Classical Greece and Alexander the Great. However, phalanxes were used 2000 years before, in the armies of the city-states of southern Mesopotamia, established around 3000 BC.
The "Vulture Stele" - named because it depicts the bodies of the vanquished being eaten by vultures, a common motif of the time - records a victory of King Eannatum of Lagesh between 2500 and 2400 BC. It depicts two types of infantry, the first clearly being a Phalanx. We cannot see whether the troops in this phalanx are wearing armour because they are hidden behind large, oblong shields stretching from shoulder to ankle, but they wear bronze helmets covering the head down to the neck, with noseguards, similar to the Corinthian style worn by Greek hoplites 2000 years later. The shields overlap into a wall, and with spears couched underarm, they present a dense thicket of bronze spearpoints, suggesting a reliance on mass and forward momentum. The sound-box of a lyre from Ur, dating from around the same time, depicts phalanx troops wearing helmets similar to those on the Vulture Stele, as well as what appear to be ankle-length, leather cloaks reinforced with bronze studs. They also carry two-handed pikes, possibly foreshortened for artistic license. The other type of infantry depicted on the Vulture Stele are unarmoured, except for helmets similar to the phalangites', and carry spears and round-bladed axes.

Catton, pg 9

This is clear evidence of the existence of phalanx tactics during the early bronze age. It stands to reason that the Early Greeks and Trojans would have been aware of such technologies and practices in 1200 BC, the alleged time of the Illiad's battles. This would also be the case for Chariot warfare, which is predominate among the champions of both armies in the story. Again I quote from my source.

Chariots were used by the Sumerian armies, but they do not appear to have been the main strike arm. It is likely that they were transport for commanders or for champions who dismounted to fight other champions or lead assaults. The ultimate expression of the warrior ethic, the champion was an important part of this period, often being mythologized to indoctrinate later generations.

Catton, pg 9

This is what I think the Illiad was. A poem that was a sort of historical based fiction, used to teach the young about the ways of hoplite warfare, and to inspire them with its romantic vision of combat. It was also a rousing tale of romance to tell around a campfire or at a family gathering. On page 17 of the source I am looking at, it claims that:

Hoplites came from a malitia of propertied citizens, with a personal stake in the outcome of most battles, and intensley indoctrinated through nationalist propoganda (stretching it a bit here I think) and heroic myth. Therefore, the Greek national epic, the Illiad, with its detailed account of heroic single combat, is of less use as a record of military history than an insight into the Classical Greek military mind.

Catton, pg 17

So friends, what do you think? Here are some scholarly opinions of the subject at hand. It makes sense to me then that the phalanx had to be known by the ancient world during the time of Homer. It stands to reason that the mythical enemies could have fought in such a way.