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An infantry square is a battle formation of infantry when faced with cavalry. It was a formation described by Plutarch and used by the Romans, a development of an earlier circular formation. It was revived in the 14th century as the schiltron, in the 15th century as the pike square and again in the 17th century for mass, musket-armed forces. It was widely used in the Napoleonic Wars and was used against poorly equipped infantry later in the 19th century.