LOGOI

The corpus record

φάλαγξ

phalagx · ἡ

line of battle, battle-array

Generated live from the audited corpus — every figure on this page is a database query, not prose from memory.

Where it lives

  • Constitution of the Lacedaemonians 5 · 10.28/10k
  • Agesilaus 7 · 9.51/10k
  • On the Cavalry Commander 3 · 5.21/10k
  • Anabasis 28 · 4.98/10k
  • Cyropaedia 32 · 4.06/10k
  • Hellenica 23 · 3.5/10k
  • Iliad 34 · 3.05/10k
  • Theogony 2 · 2.9/10k
  • Machabaeorum I 5 · 2.87/10k
  • Hiero 1 · 1.68/10k
  • On the Art of Horsemanship 1 · 1.44/10k
  • Memorabilia 1 · 0.28/10k

Densest 12 of 15 attested works shown, by occurrences per 10,000 attested tokens.

What it meant — LSJ

line of battle, battle-array, the ranks of an army in battle

line of battle, battle-array, Hom. only in Il., once in sg., Τρώων ῥῆξε φάλαγγα Il. 6.6: elsewh. pl. the ranks of an army in battle, Δαναοὶ ῥήξαντο φάλαγγας 11.90; φάλαγγες ἀνδρῶν 19.158, Hes. Th. 935; τῶν κάτω Διὸς φαλάγγων S. Ichn. (lyr.) in PTeb. 692 iii 10.

2 heavy infantry, in battle-order, line of battle, line

heavy infantry (ὁπλῖται) in battle-order, X. An. 1.8.17, al.; ἡ φ. τῶν ὁπλιτῶν ib. 6.5.27, cf. D. 9.49; opp. πελτασταί, X. An. 6.5.25; opp. ἱππεῖς, Id. Cyr. 6.3.2, Ages. 2.9; τοὺς ἱππεῖς πρὸ τῆς φ. ἔστησαν D.S. 20.10, cf. Plu. Crass. 23; but οἱ Ἕλληνες ἱππεῖς ὥσπερ φ. ἐπὶ τεττάρων παρατεταγμένοι X. HG 3.4.13: esp. line of battle, opp. κέρας (column in marching order), ἐπὶ φάλαγγος ἄγειν, opp. κατὰ κέρας or ἐπὶ κέρως ἄγειν, Id. Cyr. 1.6.43; of ships, Id. HG 6.2.30; ἐκ κέρατος εἰς φ. καταστῆσαι to

b main body, centre

main body, centre, opp. the wings (κέρατα), Id. Cyr. 7.1.6, al.

c camp

camp, εἴσω, ἔξω φάλαγγος, Id. Ages. 2.15. Lac. 12.3, cf. Eq. 8.12.

3 phalanx

esp. of the Macedonian phalanx, Plb. 18.29 sqq., etc.

4

in writers on Tactics:

a corps of 16384 ὁπλῖται

corps of 16384 ὁπλῖται, Ascl. Tact. 2.7, Ael. Tact. 8.3.

b corps of 8192 ψιλοί

corps of 8192 ψιλοί ( = ἐπίταγμα, q.v.) Ascl. Tact. 2.7, Arr. Tact. 14.2.

c contingent of 64 chariots

contingent of 64 chariots (= two κέρατα), Ascl. Tact. 8, Ael. Tact. 22.2.

d contingent of 64 elephants

contingent of 64 elephants, ib. 23.

5 band, staff

metaph., λοπάδων παρατεταγμένη φ. Diph. 44.3; of a band of pupils, Lib. Ep. 145.1; of a governorʼs staff (Lat. officium), Id. Or. 46.11.

II round piece of wood, trunk, log

round piece of wood, trunk, log, φάλαγγες ἐβένου Hdt. 3.97; ἐκ κοτίνοιο φ. A.R. 2.843; φ. πύξιναι IG ΙΙ(2).287 B 145 (Delos, iii B. C.).

2 rollers

pl., rollers for moving heavy loads, A.R. 1.375 sq., Orph. A. 270: sg., Phryn. PS p.124B.

3 arm of a balance, arm of the Danish steelyard

arm of a balance, Arist. Mech. 849b36; arm of the Danish steelyard, ib. 853b25.

III

= φάραγξ, BGU 282.18 (ii A. D.).

IV bone between two joints, metacarpals

bone between two joints of the fingers and toes, Arist. HA 493b29; pl., Ruf. Onom. 84 (but metacarpals, [Ruf.] Oss. 22).

2 row

row of eyelashes, Paul.Aeg. 6.8.

V log

= φαλάγγιον I, Ar. V. 1509, Ra. 1314 (lyr.), Pl.Com. 22, X. Mem. 3.11.6: masc. in Arist. HA 609a5. (The orig. sense was prob. log, cf. OHG. balcho ‘beam’, Lat. sufflamen (for sub-flag-men) ‘brake’.)

In the wild

6 of 145 attestations shown. Ask for more.

Where it came from

  • Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) Treated in Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Brill 2010) s.v. φάλαγξ (scan pp. 1599-1600; entry #6306). Root candidates: *belkan-, *balkan-, *flag-.
  • Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque Treated in Chantraine, Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue grecque s.v. φάλαγξ (scan p. 1193; entry #8332).
  • Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch Treated in Frisk, Griechisches etymologisches Worterbuch s.v. φάλαγξ (scan pp. 1957-1958; entry #5878). Root candidates: *palay-, *bhelag-, *belkan-.

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