03-03-2008, 05:42 AM
Paul, I like the drawings and have no quarrel with them since you have not drawn them in a truly perpendicular orientation like a fencer. They are in fact what I was attempting to describe.
You describe this as purely defensive, yet we can see in the video men under a spacing scheme that would be synaspismos if they had the proper shields doing exactly the shuffling charge I predicted. This is not defense, it is massed offense.
As to the timing of when it occured, we do not know that it happens late in the battle, only that it happens after some period of spear-play. What I described above, with the spear fencing during the delay inherent in packing the men in tight could surely fit most descriptions. Moreso as we do not know how long it would take to get men packed in that tight under realistic conditions. We also don't know if there were cycles of closer and looser combat which would account for longer battles.
Quote:a purely defensive formation called synapsismos/locked shields is described where each phalangite has an 18 inch/45-50 cm front and the shields
You describe this as purely defensive, yet we can see in the video men under a spacing scheme that would be synaspismos if they had the proper shields doing exactly the shuffling charge I predicted. This is not defense, it is massed offense.
As to the timing of when it occured, we do not know that it happens late in the battle, only that it happens after some period of spear-play. What I described above, with the spear fencing during the delay inherent in packing the men in tight could surely fit most descriptions. Moreso as we do not know how long it would take to get men packed in that tight under realistic conditions. We also don't know if there were cycles of closer and looser combat which would account for longer battles.
Paul M. Bardunias
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A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
MODERATOR: [url:2dqwu8yc]http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=4100[/url]
A Spartan, being asked a question, answered "No." And when the questioner said, "You lie," the Spartan said, "You see, then, that it is stupid of you to ask questions to which you already know the answer!"
