Tactics: Employment of the Gladius

[Sean Manning]

Perhaps we should focus this thread on a period: say Caesar to Marcus Aurelius? Based on Europe from 1300 to 1900, and the documented age of Chinese and Japanese styles, its likely that martial arts underwent major changes every two or three centuries.

It is true that in some descriptions Vegetius emphasizes individual training but in other discusses the importance of group training and maneuvers (Veg. 1.26; 3.9).

David S.

That's actually consistent with what I said! Vegetius 1.26 talks about drill in adopting and changing formations, 3.9 seems to talk about preparing for battle and the importance of training the whole army to adopt and change formations. We have lots of sources on group marching drill, and on single combat training, but not a lot on group mock battles or practicing throwing in unison. I will look up that Philip Rance article in hardcopy.

When the Pilum throw is made it could well have been a 160 release of these at exactly the same instant with a manipule in two rows staggered at two metre intervals, this mass throw would divest many of the front row enemy of their shields if not also kill some which is the shock tactic.
Then with two steps or what is known as a Miles pasus the second row of troops fill the gap, ...

That's an interesting idea (I think that the mechanics of getting hundreds of javelineers or archers or crossbowmen to shoot together needs to be looked into) but Polybius is clear that in his day Romans fought hand to hand with pikemen with 6 feet of breadth per file, and all the sources describe a mix of cuts and thrusts in close combat (even Vegetius 1.11 and Polybius 2.30 if not 2.33!) I don't know if High Imperial legionaries fought the same way though: their shields were smaller and they had more armour. It could be that the sources from the empire favour a close order with 3' of width per file, but I haven't read many of them.