"Weapons, ready!"
"Boom boom boom boom! Boom boom boom boom!"
The axemen stood behind the shield bearers, positioned between them and the archers. Their role was to advance and slay after the spearmen stopped the cavalry.
Actually, the axemen within the phalanx were often the most armored and valiant.
Spearmen, more often than not, were expendables, as they faced the cavalry charge head-on. Even if they managed to strike with their spears, they would likely be knocked aside by the galloping warhorses, if not killed or maimed.
Afterwards, the axemen would advance to finish off the enemy. If no second wave of spearmen stepped up to replenish ranks, the axemen became the first line of defense against the next wave.
Thus, in most armies, spearmen were primarily auxiliary troops, sometimes even pressed laborers, for the sole reason that they were cheap.
