01-16-2013, 03:17 AM
This is an old debate.
I post this here because here on this forum we have knowledgeable people who understand something of Roman culture and civilization and therefor we can have a civilized and accurate debate on this topic.
I do believe and expect to see a lot of Medieval bias-ts pitching up here like British barbarians hiding in the forest in defiance of Roman law.
So lets begin.
Let me be hard and take a well equipped 16th century "non-ranged" purely infantry and mounted knights in equal numbers against a a typical Roman legion in Lorica segmentata.
I will put my life with legion and so will any sensible person.
_______________________________________________________________
Firstly, my arguement begins with this, the Roman army will obliterate a Medieval army in open field with a shower of pilum. Then a the legionaries hurl a second shower of pilum against the front flanks of knights and man-at-arms.
The pilum was capable of then and in the times of Medieval era to penetrate oak, plate mail armour and virtually anything.
The needles flying in the air supported by the weight of the shaft suggests that it will be very deadly and very effective against heavily armoured knights.
I just don't see how you could deflect such a lethal assault.
Then finally the legionary draws the gladius and thrusts forward both scutum and gladius in motion as one unit of cohort legionaries a punch-stabbing machine.
I just don't see a 16th century Medieval infantry/knights coping.
And the Romans use the pilum as an anti cavalry spear in phalanx formation. Like they did against Parthia and Carthage to name a few.
Feel free to not only vote but also give accurate reasons why.
Thank you.
I post this here because here on this forum we have knowledgeable people who understand something of Roman culture and civilization and therefor we can have a civilized and accurate debate on this topic.
I do believe and expect to see a lot of Medieval bias-ts pitching up here like British barbarians hiding in the forest in defiance of Roman law.
So lets begin.
Let me be hard and take a well equipped 16th century "non-ranged" purely infantry and mounted knights in equal numbers against a a typical Roman legion in Lorica segmentata.
I will put my life with legion and so will any sensible person.
_______________________________________________________________
Firstly, my arguement begins with this, the Roman army will obliterate a Medieval army in open field with a shower of pilum. Then a the legionaries hurl a second shower of pilum against the front flanks of knights and man-at-arms.
The pilum was capable of then and in the times of Medieval era to penetrate oak, plate mail armour and virtually anything.
The needles flying in the air supported by the weight of the shaft suggests that it will be very deadly and very effective against heavily armoured knights.
I just don't see how you could deflect such a lethal assault.
Then finally the legionary draws the gladius and thrusts forward both scutum and gladius in motion as one unit of cohort legionaries a punch-stabbing machine.
I just don't see a 16th century Medieval infantry/knights coping.
And the Romans use the pilum as an anti cavalry spear in phalanx formation. Like they did against Parthia and Carthage to name a few.
Feel free to not only vote but also give accurate reasons why.
Thank you.
