Ancient Greek week

This week will be about ancient Greece, hope you like it. 

Hoplites

Today I will be talking about Hoplites. A Hoplite is a foot soldier in ancient Greece with heavy bronze armour, a large shield called a hoplon (or aspis), a spear and a sword. Hoplites fight in a formation called a phalanx, a formation where the shields are tightly overlapping. The question is when did proto phalanxes (lots of little formations working together) become a major phalanx (one big formation)? There are three theories: 1. Between 750 BC-650 BC because of a change in weapons and armour. 2. Between 800 BC-750 BC because the major phalanx got shown as the better one of the two and rapidly spread through Greece. 3. Between 750 BC – 450 BC because the true major phalanx never emerged until the large scale fighting against the Persians. Which one do you think is right?