Prior to the evolution of the phalanx during the seventh-century BC, war was fought by very limited forces derived exclusively from the social infrastructure of Greek city-states. Quite commonly the aristocratic class constituted the majority of the army. Battles were usually won with specialized offensive charges from which the strongest forces in the army, being that of the chariots and cavalry, often became the decisive factor.
Chariots and horses were obtained solely for the nobility; through their wealth and social supremacy nobles could afford to purchase these military luxuries and would have the leisure time to practice them. Often battles were clashes between the noble classes of differing city-states, henceforth, leading to their hegemony over the rest of the population.
The integration of the phalanx into tactical warfare became a military revolutionary idea as well as a social evolution. The phalanx was composed of a compact unit of men, often longer in length than in depth. The phalanx was not a permanent formation,in that its dimensions and approach to attack varied according to the general's tactics and the size of the army.
The creation of the phalanx made an attack by chariots obsolete. No longer could chariots be considered a significant factor in the tide of battle, which transfered the power of military dominance into the hands of the phalanx's soldiers, known as hoplites. Hoplites were soldiers derived from the yeoman class; this social class was comprised of wealthy men who could not essentially afford a horse but could furnish themselves as heavy-infantry soldiers.
The reallocation of military power into the yeomen class helped to significantly dilute political power among a wider range of the populace leading to a society that still retained its stratified social mentality but helped maintain social order through increased political unity and military prowess.
The new construction of military warfare based on the phalanx helped the Greeks maintain their independence from foreigners who had not yet acquired the phalanx formations.
Behind the phalanx fronts, light-infantry soldiers, who were from a lower social class, came to be a factor in warfare as well. The light-infantry soldier's military role was quite often indirectly linked to victories in battles, in that they were scouts and reserves often lacking sufficient armaments to yield any great threat. During victories over cities or regions the light-infantry were often left to garrison conquered cities or to maintain a rearguard in retreat or frontal movements, leading to their small but somewhat important role in military affairs which ran in accordance to their social subordination at home. The phalanx continued its tactical supremacy for many centuries only to be subdued and rendered obsolete by the professional and perfectionist soldiers in the Roman legions.