Taxiarch

In Greek Orthodox Church usage, the term is also applied to the archangels Michael and Gabriel, as leaders of the heavenly host, and several locations in Greece are named after them.

In ancient Greece, the title or rank was held by a number of officers in the armies of several but not all city-states, with Sparta being a notable exception.

The term first appears in use in the Byzantine army in the late 6th-century Strategikon of emperor Maurice, where it is reserved for the commander of the elite Optimatoi mercenary corps.

In the modern Hellenic Army the rank of Taxiarchos (abbreviated Ταξχος) is equivalent to Brigadier General with a NATO Code OF-6.

The rank's insignia consists of a flaming grenade (replacing the crown borne under the Greek monarchy), a crossed sword and baton device and a six-pointed star.