Infantry Relief System

[Mark Hygate]

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I am assuming that your 4thC troops are armed with the oval shields and spathae?

Last question first - oval shields indeed, but most had spears. The main difference with an actual battle was that in case of the latter, ranks 2 to 4 continually use their spears in overarmstabbing. In our 'battle' this was of course not done, so we mostly pushed and shoved at the enemy. We were supposed to break ranks and use the spears on the opponents shields, but it's very hard for a group of men to break contact with the enemy! .................

So you see, there's no time for resr and relaxation of the men directly behind the first rank! :grin:

Ah, no indeed - but it's the spears that are important. Like Hoplites, like Pikemen, like Triarii - even Empire period troops equipped with hasta (incl Arrian's extras - and perhaps even the likely antesignanii/lanciarii/singularii - then you cannot consider rank-rotation with spears. I would only ever argue it as a possibility for suitably shield and short-stabbing sword-equipped legionary-types.

It's now a completely separate thread question really - but I have to ask - why spears and not spiculum, verrutum (thinking of heavy/light javelins) or martiobarbuli/plumbata (thinking darts)? I do tend to think of the general return to spears as more a (Early-) Byzantine thing; with the post-Constantine field armies of the 3rd & 4th (early 5th?) centuries as more like the previous troops, but changing and apparently deteriorating. It's the Byzantine manuals that seem to have forgotten the Roman period, want to be more Greek in style and be reinventing infantry from scratch. :unsure: