Quote Originally Posted by BigTex
I'd be refering to around the timeframe of Thermopoly. But it was a simple manuever that prevented the front from weakening so I doubt that they would have gotten rid of that.
Spartans used shorter spears than the Makedonian, especially in the classical period, so I think that their units would have an far easier time spreading out of moving closer to fill the gaps. On the other hand, the Makedonian phalanx was rather immobile in post-Alexandrian times. So I am not convinced the Makedonian phalanx was a solid line.