Generally, people tend to fight wars in a way that makes sense given their technology and resources. Archery is very different from modern firepower, and in fact close formations persisted for centuries after gunpowder had been weaponised. I can recommend military historian Bret Devereaux's blog if you want to learn more about historical tactics in warfare, especially this post where he explains what he terms the "first", "second" and "third" systems of war and what developments made the sort of war you are describing dominant. You might also look at earlier threads like this recent one by u/Bodark43 and u/nusensei, this one by u/Iphikrates, and this one again by our Iphikrates and other users. I hope you can get a new and specific answer from one our military historians, but this links should explain parts of your question at least