specifics in Spear fighting combat

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Paul M,when you say that an army had some depth(even if before the final charge),tell me a reason why this should have refered to the open order. The mention of the depth in used to compare the the strength of the oponent. So if they switched to close order afterwards,we should be informed of it.Otherwise it should mean either that they fought in open order,or that the number mentioned was refering to the depth they fought in.
As for your impression that there was not point of adding men to the ranks, then you must of cource consider the Thebans in Delion,and more so in Leuctra and Mantineia(and elsewhere) some idiots who didn't knoe their job and didn't have to extend their battle line,even though they were victorious in all those occasions. Or you think that in the text from Aristophanes that Christian posted above,the Athenians were staying n front of the gates all day and night in 17 ranks deep in open order,so in close order they would become...8.5?! No,he just wanted to say that when the time to fight came,they would form 17 deep. It's pointless to inform us what was their depth waiting and not how they fought.
Khaire
Giannis

PS.Your last post was so long that if needed to respond in the same way I should write an article. :lol: We've seen discussions becoming very difficult to follow when we all start writing very long posts.