Palus and Sparring

[Bryan]

Lately, I have been perusing some back copies of Ancient Warfare magazines and some Osprey books and noticed the frequent mentioning of the use of the palus (wooden post) for sword and shield training, along with sparring, in reference to the training of the foot soldier. The books and mags represent the period of the Numantine War and after. My question is:

What is the earliest reference we have that corresponds to these two training techniques?

I seem to recall reading somewhere (for the life of me I can't remember where) that Scipio Aemelianus used these methods, among others such as route marches and the construction of camps, when he whipped his army back into shape for the siege of Numantia. But I couldn't find anything in Appian about hand to hand combat training.

I have searched my notes, looked through primary and secondary sources and Googled like a mad man but I can't find out who is the first to mention it. This is driving me crazy because I am pretty sure I learned this already.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Sean Manning]

Its in Vegetius 1, and his sources went back to the first century BCE. Of course, determining whether he is using a first-century-BCE source or a third-century-CE source is always tricky.

See also Philip Rance, "Simacula Pugnae," Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies Vol. 40 No. 3 (2000) pp. 223-275

[Bryan]

Sean,

Thank you for replying. Can you sum up what Rance has to say on the matter?

Do you know of anything regarding 2nd cent BCE?

[Sean Manning]

Sean,

Thank you for replying. Can you sum up what Rance has to say on the matter?

Not really (I only have hard-copy access to that one and its not useful for my thesis so just skimmed it), but its the latest study, and takes Polybius' description of Scipio at Carthago Nova (10.20) for its starting point.

[Robert Vermaat]

Thank you for replying. Can you sum up what Rance has to say on the matter?

Here is is:

Rance, Philip. “Simulacra Pugnae: The Literary and Historical Tradition of Mock Battles in the Roman and Early Byzantine Army” in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 41 (2000) p. 223-275:
http://grbs.library.duke.edu/article/viewFile/2071/3611

[M. Demetrius]

Thank you! Good source doc!

[Bryan]

Gentlemen,

I thank you. That was exactly what I was looking for.

[Robert Vermaat]

My pleasure. Btw, I am the lucky recipiant of many of Philip's articles.