the use of the drum - military cadence

[Endre Fodstad]

Perhaps one of the issues here is the ground covered. Rough ground would be very difficult to cover in step. But level ground is a differnt matter. Bear in mind that the roman road network was established specifically for the rapid deployment of troops and that parade grounds (outside forts) were ostensibly flat.

Well, we did most of our long-distance marching on level fine roads out in the training grounds...not paved, but level as a table.

Surely this is an area where the absence of evidence allows reenactors to trial options and take a pragmatic approach.

Yep. If we can do all the things the Strategikon describes after training it for some time without needing to march in step, I think Occam's Razor will do the rest. If not...the case isn't quite as closed. I just struggle with the tendency for many reenactors (myself included) to let "practicality" (or rather, what they define as practicality: there isn't always just one way to do something practically, after all) be more important than the sources. Yes, the romans were humans, but let's face it - there is almost two thousand years between them and us, and assuming that our modern behaviour always will mirror theirs is a mistake, in my opinion. That applies equally for people in the 17th century (and often later) verseus us as well, for that matter.

So because the later written drill was for a type of formation the Roman's didn't use such a drill would not be used by the Roman's :? ? lol: :lol:

Hey, you opened the wild speculation box! What I was implying is that marching in step, historically, tends to be associated with close-order shoulder-to-shoulder drill, not the more open formation the romans (and byzantines, and most others) had to perform to have room to handle their weaponry. Closing the ranks to a more or less shoulder-to-shoulder (shield wall) formation is also covered by the Strategikon; once again, no mention of marching in step.

The drum issue is fair enough; we don't have the evidence for it. I think - and of course you have the right to disagree - that the same situation applies to marching in step.