01-14-2004, 06:13 PM
Hi all,<br>
<br>
Let's think about the Persian Wars and the Peloponnese wars way of land fighting: the phalanx.<br>
<br>
While the blunt of the battle was the clash (if it ever happened) of both lines of phalanxes (or the phalanx against the enemy cavalry/sparabara archers/etc troops) there's support for thinking that, even before the later widespread use of peltasts and other light troops, skirmishers were used during the heavy infantry battles, for example the Athenian light troops defeating a Spartan phalanx in the north (I forgot the location, but you surely know which battle I am talking about).<br>
<br>
Is there any information about the disposition of those skirmishers (I guess all javelin throwers, archers and slingers were used) in the line of battle? I know the role they played in the early Roman legion, which was loosely based on the Etruscan phalanx, which was pretty similar to the Greek one, but I haven't been able to find any classical references about this, and I don't have access to books like _Rome and Greece at War_ to check out... (it's on the amazon wishlist, though :-)<br>
<br>
And anyway, either whether the skirmisher were set in the front of the phalanx to harass the enemy first lines or they were separate units by themselves (considering no cavalry, these light troops wouldn't stay close to the cavalry to protect their flanks, like the roman legion did), would they retreat behind the phalanx through the separation of the taxies (plural of taxis, sp?) or encircle it somehow? I surely I wouldn't stay between the phalanxes when they are about to clash...<br>
<br>
Any information, ideas, comments will be greatly appreciated...<br>
<br>
thanks,<br>
david aka Argyros<br>
<br>
PS- I am specifically thinking of a phalanx going against a long line of Persian sparabara archers, behind their big shields, holding the line until their heavy infantry or cavalry is sent against the phalanx. I imagine that the phalanx would be very vulnerable while closing the gap between the armies unless there had skirmishers of their own to try and get those sparabara out of order: a bunch of fierce Thracian peltasts running under the rain of arrows and jumping behind the shields with their javelins and short swords should be a pretty effective way of getting rid of the archers while the phalanx it strolling/trotting against the bad guys... just my thoughts on the subject... thanks! <p></p><i></i>
<br>
Let's think about the Persian Wars and the Peloponnese wars way of land fighting: the phalanx.<br>
<br>
While the blunt of the battle was the clash (if it ever happened) of both lines of phalanxes (or the phalanx against the enemy cavalry/sparabara archers/etc troops) there's support for thinking that, even before the later widespread use of peltasts and other light troops, skirmishers were used during the heavy infantry battles, for example the Athenian light troops defeating a Spartan phalanx in the north (I forgot the location, but you surely know which battle I am talking about).<br>
<br>
Is there any information about the disposition of those skirmishers (I guess all javelin throwers, archers and slingers were used) in the line of battle? I know the role they played in the early Roman legion, which was loosely based on the Etruscan phalanx, which was pretty similar to the Greek one, but I haven't been able to find any classical references about this, and I don't have access to books like _Rome and Greece at War_ to check out... (it's on the amazon wishlist, though :-)<br>
<br>
And anyway, either whether the skirmisher were set in the front of the phalanx to harass the enemy first lines or they were separate units by themselves (considering no cavalry, these light troops wouldn't stay close to the cavalry to protect their flanks, like the roman legion did), would they retreat behind the phalanx through the separation of the taxies (plural of taxis, sp?) or encircle it somehow? I surely I wouldn't stay between the phalanxes when they are about to clash...<br>
<br>
Any information, ideas, comments will be greatly appreciated...<br>
<br>
thanks,<br>
david aka Argyros<br>
<br>
PS- I am specifically thinking of a phalanx going against a long line of Persian sparabara archers, behind their big shields, holding the line until their heavy infantry or cavalry is sent against the phalanx. I imagine that the phalanx would be very vulnerable while closing the gap between the armies unless there had skirmishers of their own to try and get those sparabara out of order: a bunch of fierce Thracian peltasts running under the rain of arrows and jumping behind the shields with their javelins and short swords should be a pretty effective way of getting rid of the archers while the phalanx it strolling/trotting against the bad guys... just my thoughts on the subject... thanks! <p></p><i></i>
