So which faction has the best phalanxes hoplites etc. (Your opinions here :D)

[ReluctantSamurai]

I would not field them in an army

That insane defense of 23 along with the very high morale insures that they stand toe-to-toe with any other infantry unit in the game. They can switch to swords when fighting Chosen Swordsmen, so they don't suffer any melee penalty. Like any other of the elite phalanx, they never constitute the bulk of my battle-line, but several of them dispersed amongst Poeni Spear, are enough to break even a Greek City phalanx army of any kind.

but Greece can get to the AH a lot faster than Rome gets the Marian reforms

Which is why I give the Greek Cities the edge, overall, in phalanx factions.

Chosen Axe do not have a temple requirement to recruit.