03-22-2004, 09:07 PM
I have seen several suggestions that the Macidonian phalanx in the time of Phillip and Alexander had just about the same spacing between each other laterally and vertically that the legionares had. 3 feet center to center. When they raised their sarissae the whole formation could pivot turn. But by 3rd century BC a lot of generals failed to make use of this or even to train their men for more than a straight forward slam to be won by sheer numbers, or longer pikes.<br>
<br>
But a syntagma was still too wide to fit through the space left between two manipules which was just 10 or 12 files wide. The Syntagma was 16 files and very lothe to advance ahead of files that couldn't move.<br>
<br>
Anyone trying to penetrate the Roman line and try to envelop the maniples, or just the prior centuries, of the hastius ordo would face a immediate counterattack, either from the posterior century on the attackers right into their unshielded side, or from straight ahead from the princips maniples. This was besides clearing out the velites, who would be trying to withdraw out of the way through those same gaps, and would constantly be pelting the attacker with javelins. The Romans were very agressive in their manner of fighting (I just finished Goldworthy's <em>Punic Wars</em> and he stresses this often about the Romans particularly their habit of giving battle when it was not favorable) and this kind of defense through counterattack seems to be in line with their innate agressiveness.<br>
<br>
In the specific case of facing the phalangists. It wound up, with the grand exception of Cynosephalae, that the Romans didn't get to get whole formations into phalanx and settle for holding in and trying to break it up by insinuating individual legionares inside the pikes to hew away at the pikemen. Which of course simply resulted in the leading phalangists dropping their sarissa and closing with swords and produced the bloodbaths between the Legions and Phyrus's Epriots. <p></p><i></i>
<br>
But a syntagma was still too wide to fit through the space left between two manipules which was just 10 or 12 files wide. The Syntagma was 16 files and very lothe to advance ahead of files that couldn't move.<br>
<br>
Anyone trying to penetrate the Roman line and try to envelop the maniples, or just the prior centuries, of the hastius ordo would face a immediate counterattack, either from the posterior century on the attackers right into their unshielded side, or from straight ahead from the princips maniples. This was besides clearing out the velites, who would be trying to withdraw out of the way through those same gaps, and would constantly be pelting the attacker with javelins. The Romans were very agressive in their manner of fighting (I just finished Goldworthy's <em>Punic Wars</em> and he stresses this often about the Romans particularly their habit of giving battle when it was not favorable) and this kind of defense through counterattack seems to be in line with their innate agressiveness.<br>
<br>
In the specific case of facing the phalangists. It wound up, with the grand exception of Cynosephalae, that the Romans didn't get to get whole formations into phalanx and settle for holding in and trying to break it up by insinuating individual legionares inside the pikes to hew away at the pikemen. Which of course simply resulted in the leading phalangists dropping their sarissa and closing with swords and produced the bloodbaths between the Legions and Phyrus's Epriots. <p></p><i></i>
