command figures position in a phalanx?

[aphillathehun]

Should these go in front?  I tend to like my officers leading from the front....

But somehow that doesn't seem all that practical with a phalanx.

And what about the standard?  Did phalanxes even carry standards?

[शेर खान]

Have a look at Oliver Stone's Alexander movie, the part where the battle of Gaugamela is depicted. There you will see the idea historians have about it. Not incorporated into the phalanx, logically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYP3XJfCth4

[Andreas Johansson]

The ancient tactical writers (Aelian etc.) do place the officers in the front of the phalanx.

(Now, all the extant tactical manuals date from Roman times, but there's AFAIK no reason to distrust them on this point; they presumably got the information from the Hellenistic-era predecessors they mention. Also, in the Classical era, when even the high command were on foot, there are examples of victorious generals being killed in battle, implying they led from the front.)

Yes, phalanges did carry standards.