10-09-2011, 05:34 PM
Quote:The century's positioned in the line up are in three lines, ie the triple ascis. They are spaced out with gaps between them.
To move forward the rear centuries simply move into the spacesin front of them.
these will have been kept relatively clear by the skirmishers and the fear of cross fire.
So, you propose that the checkerboard formation was used during the actual melee. I see it as highly unlikely and this is what we can actually not find any mention of in any texts.
First I would like to understand how exactly do you suggest it would have worked :
A. Where would the centuries be posted during melee? One behind the other or in a checkerboard formation just behind the gaps? Normally when we are talking about the quincunx formation we mean that the principes maniples are posted behind the gaps at a certain distance and not the maniples of the hastati (of course in the Polybian era). Or are you addressing Caesar's deployment of his cohorts?
B. Do you mean that one century joins battle by marching into the gap while the one fighting slowly retreats? But then, how is the enemy weakened? The enemies that these will be fighting will also be fresh. So, the Romans again take on all the risks of having undefended sides, while offering the enemy all the advantages of having half of their line fresh? Or do you think that it served like some kind of trap? If so, then it would only have been a rare stratagem, since if maintained as a system, it would be known to the enemy and dealt with accordingly (if not to enemies that had never dealt with Romans before surely to Greeks, Carthaginians, Gauls, Iberians, Germans etc).
C. As for the fear of crossfire, there is no such thing as I see it. What crossfire could be made from men striving to keep formation and forced to form a square looking at every side, much like a Napoleonic square? Why not just employ skirmishers to fire at the unprotected sides of these little squares while keeping your lines straight. It seems that it is the Roman squares which are vulnerable to crossfire at all times while the enemy chooses whether, how and when he will create such opportunities for the Romans.
D. An army deployed thus is full of opportunities for the enemy to exploit even in melee. The right side of each century/maniple would be defenseless and an easy target to an enemy attack or to enemy missiles if the enemy did not want to just march in the gap in a predetermined orderly fashion or just surge through if the numbers are in his favor. There are a number of stratagems one could employ against such weaknesses and none are ever reported, nor any countermeasures. Why not posting more men in a certain only part of the battle line and with them overwhelm only one or two centuries/maniples instead of the whole line? Just poking with 15 foot pikes at the sides of unshielded legionaries would be enough for a line to crumble.
What do you think?
