11-13-2005, 11:34 AM
Returning from this very interesting discussion about musical intrument, back to the original question about marching.
My questions would be these:
1) is it possible to march without rythem and keeping a 'military step'?
My personal military experience (which is not that significant, I admit it) is that without someone giving any verbal signal how to keep in step, some will take large strides and some shorter ones. this causes confusion and gaps in the file, which is extremely tiring to those walking in, say, the second half of the file. Those at the back will be straining to keep up.
Is it feasable to assume that the Roman army, accustomed to marching large distances, did not 'perfect' their marching?
2) IF commands were used to keef the file in a single military step, what could that have been? Vocal or 'musical'? I would exclude someone hiting the road with a staff, for instane, because that would have no use in soft terrain. A voice command, then?
3) (Now it's getting dangerous). What, apart from a good case of anachronism), would be the greatest argument against using the good old 'sin-dex-sin' (or dex-sin-dex) for such a voice command?
(ducking under the table before pressing SUBMIT)
My questions would be these:
1) is it possible to march without rythem and keeping a 'military step'?
My personal military experience (which is not that significant, I admit it) is that without someone giving any verbal signal how to keep in step, some will take large strides and some shorter ones. this causes confusion and gaps in the file, which is extremely tiring to those walking in, say, the second half of the file. Those at the back will be straining to keep up.
Is it feasable to assume that the Roman army, accustomed to marching large distances, did not 'perfect' their marching?
2) IF commands were used to keef the file in a single military step, what could that have been? Vocal or 'musical'? I would exclude someone hiting the road with a staff, for instane, because that would have no use in soft terrain. A voice command, then?
3) (Now it's getting dangerous). What, apart from a good case of anachronism), would be the greatest argument against using the good old 'sin-dex-sin' (or dex-sin-dex) for such a voice command?
(ducking under the table before pressing SUBMIT)
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
