The Macedonian phalanx was an infantry formation developed by Philip II from the classical Greek hoplite phalanx, of which the main innovation was the use of the sarissa, a 6-metre pike. It was famously commanded by him during the rise of Macedon between 359 and 336 BC, and by his son Alexander the Great during his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire and campaigns between 336 and 323 BC.