Pikes (weapon)

thumb|upright=1.4|Sumerian phalanx-like formation , from detail of the victory stele of King Eannatum of Lagash over [[Umma, called the Stele of the Vultures]]

thumb|upright=1.7|Landsknechte, etching by [[Daniel Hopfer, c. 1530]]

pole weapon

thumb|upright=1.95|Macedonian phalanx

playing card suit

Sarmatian Roman pole weapon

A schiltron (also spelled sheltron, sceld-trome, schiltrom, or shiltron) is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx. The term is most often associated with Scottish pike formations during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. thumb|Depiction of the Battle of Bannockburn, with schiltron of pikeman on the left. == Etymology == The term dates from at least 1000 AD and derives from Old English roots expressing the idea of a "shield-troop". Some researchers have also posited this etymological relation may show the schiltron is d

The pezhetairoi (Greek: , singular: pezhetairos) were the backbone of the Macedonian army and Diadochi kingdoms. They were literally "foot companions" (in Greek, pezos means "pedestrian" and hetairos means "companion" or "friend").

anti-cavalry defensive infantry formation for pikemen