Othismos: Classical vs Crowd Theory Othismos

[nikolaos]

Paul,

Thanks very much.

First, lets see if I can paraphrase your description to see if I am clear on where you are coming from as a result.

The phalanx closes into fighting range, and commences fighting with spears. Gradual pressure from the rear ranks slowly drives the phalanx into a more or less upright position. The rearmost rank continues to push from an effective stance, and while the compressed hoplites lean in on their toes, adding a component of their "falling" weight to the pushing force of the rearmost rank.

If you think I haven't summarized accurately, perhaps you could draw a side view illustrating a file pushing as your model proposes.

I also have a couple of questions based on this and your previous posts.

At what angle do you see the compressed hoplites being able to lean in this situation?

You refer to football, in your attempt to where the line pushes up and locks into their opponents, attempting to topple them over, and rugby, where bent at the waist and locking at the shoulders in the scrum they attempt to push their opponents away. Neither of these is analagous to the crowd theory, where the pushing comes from an upright lean. Thus, are they really valid comparisons for this discussion? Or are you simply referring to the rearmost man in the file pushing in this way?

Thanks,
Cole