The Primary Weapon, Spear or Sword?

[Medicus matt]

Except for the Greeks, if there were two armies, both veterans that won’t run, one equipped only with the sword, and one only with the spear, and both were intent on destroying the other, then the army with swords would win. .

Really?
So you have two lines of infantry with depth as well as breadth, involved in a stand up line fight.

One side just has swords with limited reach and, in order to wield them effectively they have to expose and/or extend themeselves beyond the coverage provided by their shields. Only the front rank is effective at any stage.

On the other, you have seried ranks of spearmen with a reach of at least 3-4 feet, aiming their spears right into the faces of the oncoming swordsmen whilst not having to extend any part of themselves beyond the cover proved by their spears. The first two or even three ranks can be effective throughout the action.

Hmmmm...