Sumerian phalanx
Sumerian phalanx, a block of foot soldiers depicted standing shield-to-shield, presenting spears, and advancing in a dense mass, detail from the Stele of the Vultures, limestone bas-relief, c. 2450 bce; in the Louvre Museum, Paris.
tactics
military
tactics, in warfare, the art and science of fighting battles on land, on sea, and in the air. It is concerned with the approach to combat; the disposition of troops and other personalities; the use made of various arms, ships, or aircraft; and the execution of movements for attack or defense. This article discusses the tactics of land warfare and armed forces. For treatment of tactics on sea, see naval warfare, and for tactics in air combat, see air warfare. The word tactics originates in the Greek taxis, meaning order, arrangement, or disposition—including the kind of disposition in which armed ...(100 of 13316 words)