Othismos: Classical vs Crowd Theory Othismos

[PMBardunias]

but isn't the grip of the aspis (argive) and pelta (strap?) a factor in pushing?

The grip inside is basically the same, so no this would not be a problem, the additional strap would not get in the way.

The sarrisaphoi would also have the added encumbrance of wielding the (2 handed?) sarissa and not be able to commit as much force into pushing right? Was the aim of the Macedonian sarissa phalanx to push in the first place?

This is a difficult question. Some of the clearest statements we have about the additional "weight" of the rear ranks comes from a context of sarissaphoroi, but I do not think they did anything like othismos unless something went very wrong. They could push through their sarissa on an individual basis and surely did when they found it stuck in something, but there are limits to how hard you can push. Like the "push of pike" in later centuries this would largely have been a limited and more figurative push, with men in the rear ranks simply impeding their fellows from moving back.

If it all went FUBAR and they did find themselves shield to shield with another phalanx, then they could push with the shield, but by then the sarissa would have been dropped.